


Falling Down and Getting Back Up

by DreamersMyth27



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abandonment, Fusion, Gen, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, In this Story at Least, Magic, Other tags to be added, Petunia Dursley is Evil, References to Depression, Secrets, Suicidal Thoughts, The Harry Potter Timeline is Moved Forward a Few Years
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-03-27 11:29:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 67,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13879944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamersMyth27/pseuds/DreamersMyth27
Summary: A secret never meant to be known.Petunia Dursley had made many mistakes in her lifetime. But this was the biggest of them all. And this mistake might cost Harry the last person he could call family.A family never meant to be found.Dick Grayson couldn't save his parents. He couldn't save them, but maybe he could help save others. At least that was what he hoped.Two worlds about to collide.These two boys, completely different boys, have more connections than they could have ever imagined. And it was up to them to reconcile the past with the future. It was up to them to save two worlds never meant to be connected and connect two worlds never meant to be saved.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I really shouldn't be starting another story, but I was struck with an idea, so here we are. :)
> 
> Just so anyone reading this knows, it won't be updated all that often. Maybe a few times a year. 
> 
> Also, any feedback would be nice too. It always help me to know what I need to improve.
> 
> Future chapters will be significantly longer. This is only the prologue to see what people think of the idea.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This won't be updated all that often. I think it might only be a few times a year. I'll mostly only be writing it when I'm blocked on other stories or when I just want to have a little fun.
> 
> I liked the old chapter, but there were just some parts not doing it for me, so I edited it quite a bit. If I could get some comments on what you guys think of the edited version, that would be great. I'm going through and editing most of the chapters to at least some extent.
> 
> 6/10/18

_July 12th_

The door flew open and into the dark kitchen an old man with impossibly long flowing silver hair, a beard to match, loose purple robes, and bright blue eyes marched in, putting a stop to all conversation. The old man pulled a chair out from the long table and slumped into it. He looked tired, the kind of tired you feel in your bones after too long worrying and too many sleepless nights.

There was quite a large group of people at the table, and all of them shared uneasy glances when the man slumped into the chair at the head of the table. The man sitting closest to the silver-haired one slumped in a chair, a young man with ragged black hair and aristocratic features, slightly dull, as if he'd been sick recently, placed a comforting had on the old man's shoulder.

"What is it, Dumbledore?" he asked eagerly. "What have you found?"

Dumbledore sighed deeply and looked up at the aristocratic man. His eyes were sad, dull, lacking their usual twinkle, and completely un-Dumbledore-like. He didn't look like the headmaster of Hogwarts. For one, he looked like what he really was; an incredibly old and tired man. One who'd seen far too much over the years. It was an unsettling thing for everyone to see.

"I fear that Voldemort-" everyone flinched at the name of the evil wizard. "-has found a weapon that can be used against us. One that will most certainly affect the outcome of the war," Dumbledore said tiredly.

"What is it, Dumbledore?" Arthur Weasley asked, leaning forward. His eyes were wide and curious like he was trying to figure out what could cause enough trouble for even Dumbledore to be worried.

Dumbledore looked down at his hands. This, more than anything else, shocked the gathered group. Dumbledore was many, many things, but nervous was never one of them.

"In the months leading up to Halloween nearly fourteen years ago, Lily and James Potter had another secret they kept hidden from everyone, not just their location," Dumbledore said, looking at everyone quite strangely. "I myself only learned of it today after a chat with Mrs. Petunia Dursley, Lily's sister. I am sure that the weapon Voldemort plans to use against us has something to do with what Mrs. Dursley informed me about."

"What is it that dreadful muggle told you, Albus?" Professor Minerva McGonagall asked, voice shaking tremulously.

Dumbledore looked around the table, meeting everyone's eyes for a few moments with his own hard gaze. "What I am about to tell you cannot leave this room under any circumstances."

He waited. Slowly everyone realized the headmaster was waiting for a full confirmation of nods or raised hands. Once a teacher, always a teacher. Heads slowly began to nod around the table, accompanied by low murmurs of agreement. Dumbledore himself nodded, seemingly appeased.

"On the 17th of October, 1996, the Potters had a second son."

The room was silent. Everyone was looking at Dumbledore, torn between disbelief and horror. Disbelief that no one had ever known about the Potters' second son. Horror, because if Dumbledore hadn't ever known, then that meant the Potters' second son was probably dead.

"Is it true?" Sirius choked out. He sounded like he was on the verge of tears, for more reasons than one. "What was his name? What happened to him? What does he have to do with a weapon for You-Know-Who?"

Dumbledore lowered his head again. "I am afraid I do not know much more than what I've told you. I believe Voldemort plans to use the boy. After all, what better weapon to use against Harry than his own brother, bitter about being kept in the dark and left behind?" Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Mrs. Dursley was kind enough to tell me that Lily came to her house in the middle of the night the day before Halloween with a baby named Sirius Potter. Lily asked her sister to protect him for a few days. The moment Lily was gone, Mrs. Dursley left the boy on the steps of an orphanage. After that, I do not know what happened to him."

"Oh, lord," Molly Weasley breathed. "That _vile_ woman just left a baby only a few days old on some steps! Her own nephew! When Lily said she would come back!"

"Voldemort hasn't found him yet though, has he?" Nymphadora Tonks asked, voice filled with hope that only the young can find so easily. "We can find him first."

"For that matter, how did we not find him, Dumbledore? He should have been on the Hogwarts registry," Professor McGonagall said. She was frowning deeply.

"I suspect that he may not be in Britain or any of the surrounding countries anymore," Dumbledore admitted. "Given the age he was at the time of his abandonment, it is more than likely that he was adopted and given a different name, so he could be at Hogwarts, but I believe we would know if another child of Lily and James was at the school. He could also be a squib, but I doubt it."

"We have to find him then!" Sirius said zealously. "We can't just give up. He could be in danger. And Harry deserves a chance to know his brother."

Sirius glared at everyone as if daring them to contradict him. No one argued or said anything.

"Yes, Sirius, we must find him, if only to warn him about the danger he's in," Dumbledore agreed. "And to meet Harry as well. It will do the boy good to know he still has some family left."

"How are you planning to look for him, Dumbledore?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked in his slow, deep voice.

"I learned which orphanage she left him on to 'protect him from her sister's freakishness'," Dumbledore said. "It will be a simple matter to have someone look into the records it keeps and find the boy's name."

"So what?" Sirius demanded. "We just wait until then and hope You-Know-Who hasn't found him yet?"

Dumbledore fixed Sirius with a grave stare. "Yes. We hope."

"And what if 'hope' isn't enough? What if Voldemort's already turned the boy?" Alastor Moody demanded. "What then, Dumbledore?"

"Then we prepare to lose a little hope. And if Voldemort has turned him, we take care of the problem, without Harry ever finding out."


	2. Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was edited a fair amount. I'm very proud of how it has changed, but I wanted to ask what you guys think? Anything better? Anything worse? I really liked the old chapter, but I just wanted this one to be a bit better. Edited versions of all the chapters should be coming out pretty soon.
> 
> 6/10/18

_July 20th_

Bruce had banished him to his room. Which was completely unfair. So he missed a single bomb. It hadn't hurt anyone and he hadn't been anywhere near it when it went off. For goodness sake, it was _under_ the dock. Yeah, he would acknowledge that is wasn't exactly good he missed it. Someone could have gotten hurt. But the point was no one did get hurt. He felt really guilty, yeah, but he a mistake. In his line of work that was dangerous. People learn from their mistakes though, and now he wouldn't ever forget to check under the docks. He wouldn't miss a bomb next time.

Dick propped himself into a sitting position on his bed and scrunched his face up. How sad was it that when he thought about bombs, there was always a 'next time'? Really, that didn't give him a lot of points for sanity. Because what normal person ran towards bombs? Towards danger? Towards death?

Well, Bruce did. He did, as he's already noted. But then again, he and Bruce weren't exactly the perfect pictures of mental health, were they? Hello, repressed childhood trauma. Bruce went around dressed like a _flying rodent_. If that wasn't a sign of questionable mental capabilities, then Dick didn't know what was.

He honestly wasn't sure how good it was that he'd determined - during his _grounding_ of all things - that he and his guardian were lacking something, either sanity of basic self-preservation instincts. Probably both, if he was being honest, and honestly was something he prided himself on, at least when it didn't have anything to do with his dual-identity as Robin and Dick Grayson. There was always a bit of stretching the truth involved to keep his secret identity _secret_.

But he digressed. What was really, truly, honestly the worst part about being grounded was that he was stuck in his room and _hadn't_ been able to sneak out to spy on the person that rang the doorbell a few hours ago. They didn't exactly get many visitors to the Manor unless they were hosting some dumb charity ball. It was always interesting to see who would be coming to see them in middle of the day. Plus, Dick liked to know what was going on. And of course, the first time anyone's come to the Manor during the day in months was the week he was grounded. He couldn't just sneak out. He may be Robin, but Bruce was Batman and Alfred was _Alfred_. Alfred would find out because Alfred knew everything that happened inside the walls of the Manor and sometimes outside.

Long story short, Dick wasn't going to find out what was going on with their guest that was still here _three hours later_ until dinner tonight. To say he was surprised when a sharp knock sounded from behind his door would be an understatement.

He hopped off his bed and rushed to the door with all the grace his acrobatic and aerialist past gave him. That is to say, he tripped over his own feet and flew into the door headfirst. Dick rubbed his head grudgingly with one of his hands and opened the door with the other.

"Hey, Alfred," he said sheepishly. The butler leveled him with an unimpressed look. Dick removed his hand from his head and awkwardly waved. "So, you heard that, huh?"

"Master Dick, I believe that even our guests downstairs heard that," Alfred said sternly.

Dick chuckled to hide his wince from Alfred's reprimand. "Here, sorry, Alfie. I'll be more careful next time."

"Somehow, I highly doubt that," Alfred drawled, but underneath the exasperation, Dick could see a glimmer of amusement sparkling in his eyes. "But for now, I'll take you at your word, Master Dick."

"So that means…" Dick began suggestively.

"Master Bruce doesn't have to hear about this," Alfred confirmed.

Dick breathed a sigh of relief. If Bruce had seen or heard that, Dick shuddered to imagine what he might have had to go through. Probably balance training of some sort. It would be torture _and_ completely embarrassing. He was a trained acrobat. Bruce was, and Dick mean absolutely no offense when he said this, not. Sure, he could do the whole 'I am the night, I will disappear into the shadows and confuse all' thing, but he was still much more likely to trip than Dick, not that he'd ever admit it. Dick was pretty sure that was only because it'd ruin Batman's image.

"That's good. I don't think I could handle any more punishment," Dick joked.

Alfred's lips twitched, but he maintained his professional manner.

"So, why did you come to get me?" Dick asked curiously.

"Master Bruce sent me up to fetch you."

"What does he need?" Dick asked, tilting his head. There had to be a good reason, and it had to do with their guests, not guest, apparently. "I thought I was _grounded_."

"I'm not sure, but I believe it has something to do with the two gentlemen he's meeting with in his study." And bingo. "As for your grounding, Master Bruce seems to have forgotten about it for the moment."

Dick considered this. It wasn't like Bruce to just _forget_ when he was grounded. Whatever was going on with their guests must be important.

"What are they talking to Bruce about that was so important they couldn't wait to set up a meeting at the WI building?"

"I'm sure I don't know. Though it sounded quite urgent."

Did Alfred mean urgent or _urgent_? There was a difference. And it was a pretty big difference. Was Bruce in danger and couldn't get away so he was telling Dick to hurry downstairs so he could save him? Or were the two men from social services on their annual surprise check on his wellbeing? There was an innumerable amount of reasons Bruce might need him to forget about the grounding, but which one was it?

Dick was so lost in thought coming up with plans, counter-plans, and counter-plans to the counter-plans that he didn't even notice Alfred talking until the man put a hand on Dick's shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Master Dick, calm down. Master Bruce was perfectly alright. Maybe a tad worried, but he gave no sign to either of you being in any sort of danger."

Dick looked at Alfred and took a deep, calming breath. Once his heart rate slowed down, he felt all his muscles loosen. They'd been tensed in preparation for a battle, one that obviously wasn't going to happen.

"Got it. Sorry, Alfred. Lead the way." Dick gestured towards the door and down the hallway sheepishly.

Alfred spun around on his heels and began to walk down the hallway. Dick trotted after him and down the halls of the Gothic Era Manor. The vases and paintings on tables and walls seemed much more intimidating than usual. Even the very shadows from the smallest of objects seemed to loom as if they were about to swallow both him and Alfred.

Dick gulped nervously. ' _Stop this_ ,' he chided himself. ' _You've faced scarier stuff in Gotham than a couple of shadows_.'

Alfred looked back with a raised eyebrow. "Is everything alright, Master Dick?"

Dick shook his head and waved his hand. "It's fine. Just thinking."

Alfred hummed disbelievingly but turned back around. They continued their trek downstairs. Dick had certainly lived here long enough that Alfred shouldn't have had to guide him, but he was glad for the company, albeit silent. Also, Alfred was a true British butler through and through; it would be against everything he stood for the just leave Dick to meet Bruce in the study on his own.

Dick followed Alfred effortlessly. He didn't need to keep a close eye on where Alfred was leading him. He knew the path like the back of his hand. And it meant he was able to watch the paintings as he walked by. He paused for a moment in front of one of the brighter ones. It showed a colorful picnic and equally colorful guests. But there was something about the painting that just didn't fit. One of the people in the back was dressed in all black robes or something.

Dick shook his head. He was just being paranoid. Thinking the black figure had just magically appeared was crazy. He sped up and walked beside Alfred, resolutely not looking at any more paintings on the walls. He didn't want to imagine a person following them and get freaked out.

That determination didn't stop him from noticing the shadows being darker just a few steps ahead of him. He put it out of his mind for now.

After a few moments, the strange feeling of being watched abated. The shadows stopped feeling so menacing and it didn't feel like the paintings were judging him anymore. Maybe it had been his imagination, but something told him that wasn't it. He knew after all his years as Robin that he had to trust his instincts, and they were telling him that without a doubt something had happened in the hallway. He made a mental note to tell Bruce about it after their guests left.

The rest of the journey down the stairs and to the door of Bruce's study was uneventful. It didn't take long for them to arrive at the thick wooden door guarding Bruce's study. Alfred knocked, once then twice. Dick waited behind him.

"Come in, Alfred." Bruce sounded strained. Not the type of strained that meant he was about to be killed or anything. Or that he was in danger. It sounded more like he was stressed or possibly in shock.

Dick hopped from foot to foot, waiting for Alfred to open the door. It seemed to take forever for Alfred's hand to take the door handle and turn it. Dick followed him into the room and hung by the now closed door while the attention was on Alfred. He wanted to get a quick look around so he could assess the situation.

Bruce sat behind his desk, tense. Their two guests were sitting on the other side, back to the door. They turned around and peered at Alfred as he stepped in. Dick watched them carefully, taking notes of their appearances and body language.

Both of the guests were men. One of them was young, probably around Bruce's age, maybe a few years younger. He had shoulder-length black hair, well groomed despite its limpness. There were smile lines surrounding his mouth, though he wasn't smiling now. His clothes were all black and he wore a trench coat. If Dick hadn't been able to see the man's face, he would have been worried. Because as haunted as this man's eyes were, he wasn't evil or out to harm anyone.

The second man had long silver hair and a beard. Both were several feet long and had to be past his waist. He was very old, at least eighty, but something told Dick the man was even older. He was wearing a pink tie along with _the_ brightest suit Dick had ever seen. And this was coming from him, the person Bruce had actually tested for color blindness once.

While the young man was looking at Alfred and seemed to have only seen him, the old man looked straight at Dick, unblinking. His eyes were a piercing blue. Light and dark at the same time. Then the old man smiled.

Dick knew he'd been made, plus Bruce had already seen him too. He was being called in here anyway, so no point sticking to the shadows. He stepped out and cautiously joined Bruce on his side of the desk, aware of both the men's eyes following him.

"Will that be all, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, I think we're good. Thank you, Alfred," Bruce said slowly.

Alfred nodded and left the study promptly.

Dick shifted on his feet slightly. The silence was starting to get awkward, and he didn't like how much the younger man was staring at him. It made him feel like he was being taken apart and judged. Not really the nicest feeling in the world, and he certainly dealt with it enough to know.

Dick met the man's eyes definitely, silently ordering him to stop. It was something Dick did more than he'd like to admit, but it was the only way most people would ever leave him alone. The man looked to the side, caught somewhere between shame and hope. Dick wasn't quite sure to think of that combination.

Dick looked at the older man, who was also staring at him, but not really in the same way as the younger man had been. He was looking Dick over with a curious eye as if he wasn't sure what to think of Dick. Then he nodded, almost to himself, in a satisfied manner.

"Hello, Mr. Grayson," the old man said, voice surprisingly soft. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Albus Dumbledore. This is my associate, Sirius Black." He gestured to the younger man.

Dick stopped himself from reacting to the familiar name. Sirius Black was a notorious mass murderer wanted for escaping a prison in England. Bruce hadn't arrested either of them yet though, so Dick was obviously missing the big picture.

He reached across the desk and grabbed Dumbledore's hand, giving it a firm shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Dumbledore," he said politely.

Dumbledore chuckled heartily and shook his head. "Ah, we'll have none of that, Mr. Grayson. It's simply Professor Dumbledore."

Dick smiled slightly. He didn't trust Dumbledore, not by a long shot; something was off about him. That didn't mean he couldn't like him though. And so far he did. The man seemed nice enough and there was just this charisma he had.

"Okay, Professor Dumbledore. You can call me Dick then," he offered politely. He didn't think the man would, he seemed too old-fashioned for that, but he may as well offer.

Dumbledore smiled pleasantly and indulgently in the same way Alfred did anytime Dick told him not to call him 'Master'. In other words, basically confirmation that Dick wasn't going to be called anything other than 'Mr. Grayson' by the man for a long, long time.

The younger man snorted when Dick told Dumbledore his preferred name. Dick turned to glare at him.

"Sorry, sorry," Sirius said lightly, easy-going smirk giving the air of a troublemaker. He had an accent, similar to Dumbledore's, but much stronger. It reminded Dick of London. In fact, Dick would bet they were both from Britain. "It's just… that's really a terrible name."

"It's a nickname," Dick snapped. "Not my real name. And I like it." He felt a hand land on his shoulder. Bruce was giving him a reproachful look. Dick sighed deeply. He drawled: "I apologize for my rudeness," in just the right way that it was quite obvious to everyone he wasn't sorry at all.

"It's alright, kid.," Sirius said amiably. His eyes were twinkling. Dick wasn't sure if he liked the man or despised him. He could see it going either way quite easily.

The room fell into an awkward silence, well, awkward for him and Bruce. Neither of their guests seemed to be bothered by it at all. Dick stared at Bruce and Bruce stared at him. Two could play the waiting game. Finally, Bruce broke down.

"These two men knew your parents," he said hesitantly. "In fact, they were very close friends."

Dick raised an eyebrow. Somehow, he had the feeling he'd have known if his parents had ever been friends with a Gandalf wannabe and a mass murderer.

Bruce shifted in his chair. He looked from his hand to Dick and back. Dick shifted on his feet again and waited. Dumbledore and Sirius were still watching them closely. Dick felt like he was on a dumb reality TV show.

"And they came all the way from London to talk to me?" he finally prompted.

Bruce looked at Dick. Dick looked back. Neither said anything. Sometimes living with a guardian who had the emotional capacity of a teaspoon was more than a little annoying.

"Mr. Grayson," Dumbledore finally said. Dick turned to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Bruce do the same. Dick wasn't sure he liked how this situation was building up. Whatever they were trying to tell him, it was big. Scary big. And had to do with his parents. So yeah.

"Yes?" Dick asked slowly. He wasn't sure he wanted to know whatever it was he was about to be told.

"Are you aware you were adopted?"

Dick froze. Bruce hadn't adopted him. He was still just his ward. He was pretty sure Bruce would have told him if he had decided to adopt Dick. Because Dick refused to even think of the other possibility. He looked like his dad and had his mom's build. That was it. End of story. Move along, folks.

"No. I wasn't adopted," he said, face blank, voice surprisingly even.

"Mr. Grayson, I know this may come as a shock, but you-"

"No," Dick interrupted Dumbledore. "I _wasn't_. I look just like my dad and my mom. I'm not adopted. And Bruce would know if I was. He has my file as my legal guardian. I'm not adopted."

Dick crossed his arms and planted his feet as if that would stop it from being true. He wasn't dumb. He already knew it probably was, but he refused to believe it. The difference him and his dad had in looks could be attributed to his mom's effect on him. He and his mom's slight eye color difference could be from anything. He wasn't adopted.

"Dick-" Bruce began gently.

"Tell them, Bruce," Dick demanded through the tears he could feel pooling in the corner of his eyes. "Tell them they're wrong. Tell them to go _away_!"

And Dick knew he was being unreasonable. He was on the verge of shouting. His voice cracked on the last word. But this couldn't be happening. It just couldn't. He didn't care what anyone said.

"Dick," Bruce tried again. "They're not lying."

Dick heard his heart pounding in his ears and thumping so hard in his chest it might as well fly out. This… this wasn't happening. Maybe it was a dream. Maybe he'd been doused with fear gas or something. Anything to stop this. Because he didn't want to believe. He couldn't believe.

And that was when it hit him. If he was adopted by his parents it would have been in his file. It would mean Bruce knew the whole time and never told him. Suddenly Dick felt a rush of anger like he'd never felt before.

"You knew," he snarled, walking right up to Bruce and leaning into his face. " _You knew_ the whole time. You knew they weren't my parents. You knew that I could have living family out there."

Bruce stood up so he was towering over Dick.

"Would you really have wanted to know that they weren't your parents? That none of them were your family?" Bruce demanded sharply, but also quietly. It was amazing how their arguments could happen through a few simple words, looks, and all without raised voices on either side.

Dick could still feel eyes on him. He turned away from Bruce and closed his eyes.

"I deserved to know," he whispered, quiet enough that only Bruce would be able to pick it up.

"You were eight," Bruce returned, just as quiet. "You were found abandoned in London on the steps of an orphanage. You wouldn't have wanted to meet them."

"You don't know that!" Dick shouted, whipping around to face Bruce. He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. "Not everyone is like you, Bruce," he whispered, barely audible. "I don't only care about the mission. I'm not like you," he spit with vehemence.

Bruce looked stricken. Dick didn't feel sorry. He didn't. Or at least he didn't want to.

Quick as can be, Bruce schooled his expression into a blank look. Dick could tell he'd hurt the man, and in a strange way, he was proud of himself for being able to get past the man's thick skin. At the same time though, he was immensely ashamed.

Bruce sat down again.

"Just," Bruce stopped, sighed deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Just listen to what they have to tell you."

Dick gave a curt nod, avoiding Bruce's eyes.

"What do you have to tell me?" Dick demanded except it didn't come out that way. It came out sounding like he was on the verge of tears, and Dick was angry at himself. He wasn't some kid. He wasn't supposed to cry in front of strangers. He scrubbed harshly at the corners of his eyes quickly and glared at the men.

"What Mr. Wayne has said is the truth, Mr. Grayson," Dumbledore said.

"That still doesn't tell me what you need with me," Dick said coldly.

"Tell me, Mr. Grayson, do you believe in magic?" Dumbledore asked, a strange gleam in his eyes.

Dick shrugged. He didn't really see the point to the question. But whatever.

"Yeah, I do. My… my aunt used to-"

Dick clamped his mouth shut. That was something he didn't really want to share. It was his and his alone. It was one of the last things he had left of her.

Dumbledore stared at him oddly. So did Sirius.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Dick demanded.

Dumbledore shook his head as if to clear his mind.

"You see, Mr. Grayson, I am a wizard. So is Mr. Black. And you are as well."

Dick stared blankly at them. He turned to Bruce and stared at him too. That was… not what he'd been expecting to hear. Not anywhere near what he'd expected.

"Okay," he said slowly. "I can… I guess I can believe that, maybe."

It wasn't that hard a leap when he already believed in magic.

"Now, Mr. Grayson, to understand why we are here to speak with you, you must listen to a story," Dumbledore said.

Dick nodded. Listening was something he was pretty good at. And that meant he could avoid the whole 'you're adopted' thing for a while longer.

"Many years ago in the wizarding world, there was a man named Tom Riddle. He thought himself above muggles and muggleborns, so he wished to get rid of them." Ah, racism, basically. If Dick had the meaning of muggle and muggleborn right. "One day, he decided to kill a family. This family had one son. They his with their son. Tom Riddle, who chose to go by Voldemort, found them. He killed the mother, the father, and tried to kill their child."

Dumbledore paused, probably to gauge Dick's reaction to the story. Dick had a feeling it wasn't just a story.

"He failed. Somehow, the child survived and Voldemort disappeared. The child was sent to live with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Nearly four years ago the child started to attend Hogwarts, a school of magic. Earlier this summer, Voldemort came back through the use of dark magic and attempted to kill the child. He failed. At that time, I went to see the child's aunt and speak to her. I discovered something.

"Mrs. Petunia Dursley, the child's aunt, told me about a day nearly fourteen years ago. Her sister, Lily Potter, approached her with her newborn baby. She asked her sister to watch her child for a few days. Petunia was jealous of her sister's magic, she herself was only a normal muggle. She thought of it as being unnatural. One hour after her sister left, she took the baby and left him on the steps of an orphanage in London."

Dick waited with baited breath for Dumbledore to continue.

"Mr. Grayson, that baby was you. Voldemort somehow discovered your existence and has been seeking you out. We have come to take you someplace safer. It will also offer you the chance to meet your older brother, Harry Potter."

"So, my biological parents left me with someone they knew hated magic and kept my biological brother with them? Why? And why didn't they tell anyone about me? Were they trying to get rid of me?" Dick demanded.

"Mr. Grayson, please calm yourself-"

"Calm?" Dick laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh. " _Calm_! I'd say I pretty calm considering what you just told me. Pretty calm considering my biological parents didn't think I was important enough to tell anyone about. PRETTY CALM FOR SOMEONE WHO'S PARENTS PRETTY MUCH ABANDONED THEM!"

"SHUT UP!" Sirius screamed, jumping to his feet."You don't know anything about Lily and James! They loved you! It wasn't them you put you on those steps! Don't you dare blame them for that!"

Bruce stood up slowly and glared at Sirius, not quite a Batglare, but close. Sirius glared back defiantly.

"You will not talk to him like that," Bruce said calmly.

"Then he should know what he's talking about before he talks about it," Sirius growled.

"Sirius," Dumbledore reprimanded harshly. "Sit down."

Sirius complied, although he didn't look too happy about it. Bruce also backed down, though he didn't sit again. Strangely enough, even though he'd just been yelled at, Dick wasn't that hurt. He could understand why the man was acting that way.

"Why does he want me?" Dick asked Dumbledore quietly. "I wouldn't be useful, not knowing about magic or anything."

Dumbledore tilted his head and gave Dick an unreadable look.

"I believe he wishes to use you as leverage against your brother," he said. "That is why you must come with us so we can protect you."

"No," Bruce growled. "He's safe here.

"You aren't equipped to deal with what he'll come after you with," Sirius said stubbornly. "If you want him to live, he needs to come with us."

"Dick is safe here. I don't know either of you very well. He's staying here."

"Mr. Wayne, if Dick comes with, he'll have a chance to meet his brother. You wouldn't rob him of that, would you?" Dumbledore asked.

Dick watched them argue back and forth, feeling annoyance growing. He was a person. He had opinions. And he _wasn't_ a kid. Bruce didn't get to decide what he did, just like Dumbledore and Sirius didn't get to decide what he did.

"Stop it," he whispered. No one heard him. "Stop it," he repeated. This time everyone heard him.

They all watched him expectantly. Dick swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I get to decide. Not you, Bruce. And certainly not you guys. I don't even know you that well. I mean, you're a wizard," Dick pointed to Dumbledore. "And you're a wizard who everyone thinks is a mass murderer, but obviously not, because otherwise, Bruce wouldn't let you in here."

Dick ran a hand through his hair, thoroughly messing it up. Everyone was looking at him.

"I… I want to meet him. But I don't want to stay there. I have a life here. And I like it." Dick glared defiantly at Sirius. "I'll go there to meet him. Then I'll come back here unless I'm visiting him."

Bruce nodded.

"That sounds doable," he said carefully.

"Mr. Grayson, I'm afraid that there is more you need to know," Dumbledore said gravely. "As an untrained wizard, it is unsafe to leave you in the muggle world. You could hurt or even kill people, yourself included. We also came to offer you a spot at my school, Hogwarts."

Dick stared blankly.

"No."

"I'm sorry?"

"No. I'm not going to some magic boarding school. I'm staying here," Dick said. "That's non-negotiable."

"I am afraid that due to an instance in America in the early 1900's it is illegal for an individual with magic to not receive any training. If you don't, they are within their rights to force you into one of their schools," Dumbledore said gravely.

"I'm not going to a magic school. I like my school here," Dick said. He turned to Bruce. "There's always another way, right?"

Bruce nodded. "Of course there is, Dick. In fact, I have an idea."

"You can't do that!" Sirius shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "He needs to learn."

"He will," Bruce snapped. "I'll hire a tutor. I'll find some way so that he doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to."

Sirius scoffed and muttered, just barely loud enough for Dick to hear: "Because you're just another stuck-up, rich brat who needs daddy to help him get his way."

Dick punched Sirius before the man had time to react. He glared and rubbed his fist. It would be bruised tomorrow.

"What was that for?" Sirius demanded, pulling a stick out of his pocket and aiming at Dick.

"You don't know anything," Dick growled. "I'll come with to meet my brother, but that's it. I might come back to visit him. I don't want to go to your school. And I certainly don't want to be called spoiled. I'm not."

"Sirius, put your wand away," Dumbledore ordered softly. The man complied. Turning back to them, Dumbledore said: "We'll give you a day to think everything over and come back for your answer tomorrow if that's alright?"

Bruce nodded absently, too busy looking at Dick to say anything else. Dick shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. He was in so much trouble.

On their guests way out, Dick heard Sirius mutter: "He's nothing like James."

It didn't sound like a compliment.

It took nearly ten minutes for Bruce to talk.

"You shouldn't have punched him, Dick," he finally said.

"I don't care," Dick muttered bitterly. "He was a jerk. The only reason I wasn't meaner is because I _do_ want to meet my brother."

"So you are going then?"

"Well yeah, of course," Dick said, throwing Bruce a 'duh' look. "Do you think they're telling the truth about the law for magic in America? That I need to learn how?"

Bruce slumped into his chair. "Unfortunately, yes, they were. It's something all magical communities have in common. America's is one of the toughest though." Quieter, Bruce muttered: "I hate dealing with wizards."

"You know about them then? How much of what they said is true?" Dick demanded. "Are they actually good guys? How do you even know the truth? And is that Dumbledore guy telling the truth about who my brother is?"

"Yes, I do. Zatara being part of the League means that all of our members are aware of the magical world and how most areas work. Before they came here, they approached the Justice League. Albus Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard at the moment. He leads an organization dedicated to defeating Voldemort. Most of the wizarding world thinks that both he and Harry Potter are lying about Voldemort. They're not, though. We're their… allies."

Bruce took a deep breath. "As for how sure am I that he's telling the truth about you being Harry Potter's biological brother, his DNA is on record from a doctor's check-up last summer. I'm sure."

Dick nodded solemnly.

"I just… I can't believe this. My parents…"

"They loved you, Dick. And they didn't care that you were adopted. You are and will always be a Flying Grayson."

"Yeah," Dick said softly. "I suppose I will."

* * *

_July 21st_

"Thanks, Bruce. I think, I know, I need to do this," Dick said. He threw a t-shirt in his backpack along with a green sweatshirt.

"I understand, Dick," Bruce said for what must have been the millionth time. "It's family. Like your Uncle Rick."

Dick smiled sadly. "Yeah, I guess so. Still, thanks."

Bruce nodded his head.

They continued to pack an overnight bag in silence.

"The 22nd, right?" Dick asked. "And I still can't know what you have planned for the Team?"

"Afraid not, Dick. That would ruin the surprise."

"I suppose so," Dick said ruefully. "So, do you think I'll meet him today?"

Bruce shook his head. "I don't think so. If what I suspect is correct, they'll be keeping a close eye on him in a different location until they spot activity near him and bring him to their base for safekeeping."

"'Suspect', he says," Dick joked bitterly. Still, he could understand how that was the best plan. And the Robin part of him was all for it. The Dick part of him, that was the part that hated it.

"Zatara will be helping you with magic," Bruce said out of the blue. "He knows who I am, and by extent, you."

Dick turned to Bruce, gaping.

"Wait, what?" he asked faintly.

Bruce shrugged. "He trained me."

And Dick understood. Zatara was one of the trainers Bruce went to before becoming Batman. So they were friends. That was… a little strange. He'd never seen any hint of that in all his time knowing both men.

"Ok," Dick agreed finally. "Sounds good, I guess." Then, just because he couldn't help himself, Dick added: "You should have told me."

"I should have," Bruce agreed. "It never seemed like the right time, but that's no excuse. I'm sorry, Dick."

"Thanks," Dick said. "You're going to have me come back a lot, right? For patrol and stuff with the Team? And just for normal hanging out time?"

"Yes," Bruce promised.

"And tell Alfred what's going on? I don't think either of us have mentioned it yet."

"Of course," Bruce said, sounding just the right amount of scandalized.

Suddenly Dick was overcome with a surge of emotion. He turned around and barreled into Bruce, wrapping his arms around the man's midsection tightly.

As quick as the moment came, it was gone. Dick moved away from Bruce and ran downstairs as fast as he could. In fact, he ran so fast he almost knocked over Dumbledore, who was looking curiously at one of the entryway paintings.

"I'm ready," Dick panted. "How are we getting there?"

Dumbledore pulled out an old shoe.

"Grab hold of it," he said mysteriously.

Dick raised an eyebrow but listened. Two seconds later he felt a jerk from his navel and the world blurred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the timeline for this story:
> 
> 2010-Harry’s fifth year at Hogwarts. Dick starts the team. Harry turns 15 on the 31st of July. Dick 13, then turns 14 on October 17th though.
> 
> 2009-Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts. Harry turns 14 on the 31st of July. Dick is 12, then turns 13 on October 17th.
> 
> 2008-Harry’s third year at Hogwarts. Harry turns 13 on the 31st of July. Dick is 11, then turns 12 on October 17th.
> 
> 2007-Harry’s second year at Hogwarts. Harry turns 12 on the 31st of July. Dick is 10, then turns 11 on October 17th.
> 
> 2006-Harry’s first year at Hogwarts. Harry turns 11 on the 31st of July. Dick is 9, then turns 10 on October 17th.
> 
> 2005-Harry lives with the Dursleys. Harry turns 10 on the 1st of July. Dick is 8, then turns 9 on October 17th. His parents die when he’s 8 in spring on April first when Harry is 9. Dick spends 2 months in juvie.


	3. The Order's Headquarters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got around to editing this chapter! Hopefully you guys like how it turned out.
> 
> 7/15/18

_July 21st_

He was standing on a dark street. The only light came from a flickering lamp post. It didn't do much to take the darkness away. If Dick was a less reasonable person he might have been afraid.

As it was, he was too busy falling to the ground and trying not to throw up to put any more thought into it. While he was on the ground, eyes squeezed shut tightly to battle oncoming nausea and vertigo, he felt a gentle hand land on his shoulder. Probably Dumbledore.

After a few more moments of fighting his body, his stomach calmed down and nausea abated. Dick opened his eyes again cautiously, fully prepared for something else to happen. When nothing did, he stood up and shrugged Dumbledore's hand off his shoulder. Sirius, he noticed, hadn't moved any closer to him.

Dick had the strange feeling that everytime Sirius looked at him he wasn't seeing Dick. It wasn't exactly pleasant. And to be honest, he didn't really like Sirius. Sure, the man seemed nice enough, but he obviously didn't like being told off, and Dick didn't like to have decisions made for him.

He looked up and down the street they'd appeared on. It was dark. There were tall apartment buildings surrounding them. All in all, the dreary neighbourhood wouldn't look out of place in Gotham. That was comforting. It made this all feel less… big. Even so, the area didn't exactly scream 'secret hideout'. Then again, Dick supposed he was just used to not having the secrecy. Mt. Justice wasn't exactly the most covert location, being the only mountain anywhere near Happy Harbor.

After a few more second observing and noting everything important he could think of, Dick turned to Dumbledore and waited. Dumbledore smiled back at him serenely, and Dick found himself wondering if the old man ever got ruffled. A moment more passed before anyone said anything.

"Sirius, if you will?" Dumbledore asked, except it obviously wasn't a question. In fact, the way Dumbledore said it reminded Dick of how Alfred would 'suggest' him and Bruce get some sleep.

He turned towards Sirius and waited expectantly. After a few seconds, Sirius pulled a small scrap of paper out of his pocket. He handed it to Dick, who looked from the crumpled thing to Dumbledore and back.

"Read it," Dumbledore said gently.

Dick shrugged. What the heck, he didn't have anything to lose. He smoothed the paper out on his palm.

_The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number 12, Grimmauld Place._

The writing was a pretty cursive, and for a moment Dick found himself slightly jealous of the handwriting, but he pushed the thought from his mind. He had more pressing matters to worry about.

Grimmauld Place. Dick looked around and saw the sign quickly. The building just in front of them was labelled as Grimmauld Place. But where was number 12? There was an 11 then it just skipped to 13. Dick looked at Dumbledore questioningly.

"Look again," Dumbledore advised sagely.

Dick raised an eyebrow but listened and turned back towards the buildings. Number 10, number 11, number 12-

"How did that-"

"No time to ask that, I'm afraid. I'll explain once we're inside, my dear boy," Dumbledore reassured.

It wasn't very reassuring. Yes, Dick believed in magic. He'd seen his Aunt Karla making potions and Zatara using spells. But all the years of living with Bruce and working with Batman had given him a healthy aversion to everything and anything that couldn't be explained. He supposed he'd have to get over that though, especially since he had magic now, apparently.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't even notice he'd been led to the steps until his toe bumped against them. With all the grace of a true Grayson, he recovered and leapt up them lightly. It didn't even look like he'd tripped to the untrained eye, and even trained eyes would have had trouble spotting his misstep.

Sirius came up from behind him and twisted the handle of the black door. It creaked open and Dick stepped inside. The door shut softly behind him a moment later.

It was a dark place, and not just because of the hour here. The hardwood covering the floor was black. The carpet going down the middle of the hallway was black and an ugly red pattern. The wallpaper was dark. At the far end of the wall, the strangest looking umbrella stand he'd ever seen had a few black umbrellas in it. Even the oil lamps were greasy and cast a dim, gloomy light.

Dick looked around, observing every detail carefully and memorizing it. Better safe than sorry and to be prepared for every possibility. Knowing the lay of the land would help him be prepared for anything he might need to be prepared for.

"Dumbledore and I are going to introduce you to the rest of the order and tell you a bit more about the situation," Sirius whispered offhandedly.

Dick nodded his head. He really hadn't learned enough at the Manor. No doubt due to his reaction and their apparent urgency to hurry to London.

Sirius moved in front of him gilded down the hallway, stopping at the black door on the very end. Dick followed him closely, and Dumbledore brought up the rear. They were all quiet. Something about this house made Dick suspect it wasn't just tension or nerves that kept them silent.

Dick entered the room behind Sirius, eyes on his sneakers. Again, the door closed behind them softly. It was only once the click of the lock sounded that people broke out in whispers. Dick looked up.

The room was a kitchen. The massive wooden table in the middle had an impressive amount of chairs surrounding it and the chairs were filled with an impressive amount of people. They were all dressed in cloaks and dresses, even the men. Robes would be an accurate description, actually.

"This is Richard Grayson," Dumbledore announced from behind Dick, silencing all chatter. "Or, as he was named at birth, Sirius Everson Potter."

Dick smiled nervously and gave a small wave. He may not know them but everyone was looking at him and the showman in him lived to please. This seemed to shock everyone out of their, well, their shock.

"So, this is him," a man said. Dick followed the voice. It took all he had not to flinch once he located the owner. The man was missing a chunk of his nose and looked like Killer Croc had used the rest of him for a chew toy. "Well, he looks like a Potter. Eyes are different. Scrawnier. But he's definitely a Potter."

"Indeed, Alastor," Dumbledore said, voice ringing with amusement.

"Does he know? About this? Harry? You-Know-Who?" a redheaded woman asked, tone conveying worry. She reminded him of Wally's mom. Like she could take you, superpowers, Batman's apprentice, alien or not, and make you listen to her.

"I'm right here," Dick snapped. Probably dangerous, considering the assessment of her he'd just made but it was so irritating when people talked about him like he wasn't there. He was young, not a child. People could never tell the difference though. "So to answer your question, yes, I know this is a group that works against Voldemort. And I know for some reason Voldemort wants my brother dead."

Huh. His brother. It felt weird to say those words out loud. Not bad, just weird. He had a brother. A flesh and blood brother. An older brother, who'd probably want to baby him or protect him. For some reason, the image of an older kid that looked kinda like him made him want to laugh. But also it made his heart feel warm. He finally had a family again. Real family.

"I am afraid that is not everything," Dumbledore said sadly.

Dick turned around to face him and asked incredulously: "What else could there possibly be?"

"The Ministry of Magic does not believe Harry on Voldemort's return. He has been painted as liar and opportunist," Dumbledore lamented. "We are also hiding from them."

Dick nodded his head. Corrupt government, check. This was beginning to feel more and more like home, like Gotham. Was it strange that made everything seem better?

The silence was deafening before it was broken by a woman with bright purple hair. Natural too, if the colour of her roots was anything to go by.

"Wotcher, Sirius. It's nice to meet you. I'm Tonks."

Dick flinched. "My name's not Sirius. It's Dick." Upon seeing everyone's slightly amused, and maybe even a little troubled, faces Dick backtracked. "I mean, my name's Richard, but Dick's my nickname, I mean-" Dick halted. He could feel how red his face was. But anything was better than the sadness still trying to creep up on him, even embarrassment. "It's nice to meet you, Tonks," he finally finished.

"I suppose we'll get introductions in order then, Dumbledore?" the red-haired woman asked, though it was a command phrased like a question.

"Yes. Please introduce yourself to Mr. Grayson. I will be taking my leave. And make sure to have him meet the others. I think you'll find they are still awake." The last bit was said quite cheerily, but the red-haired woman's face still darkened.

"Wait!" Dick said to Dumbledore lowly, grabbing his sleeve. "You never did explain how you figured out it was me."

Dumble smiled, albeit a bit sadly. "There are ways to track adoptions, even closed ones. Especially if you have magic helping out. And I am sorry about your parents, Mr. Grayson."

With that, Dumbledore swept out of the room. The kitchen door closed a few moments after Dumbledore disappeared out the front door. Dick was left alone in a room full of virtual strangers, including a man with extremely greasy hair who looked like he wished Dick would be swallowed by a monster or possibly explode. Whatever the case, he was looking at Dick with acute… distaste.

"Well, I suppose we should introduce ourselves then," a red-haired man said, clapping his hands together. "Arthur Weasley. A pleasure to meet you." He took Dick's hand and shook it fervently. "And you grew up with muggles, yes?"

"Kinda," Dick said, rubbing his neck. He didn't add anything else. His aunt being able to make potions was something he'd never told anyone, not even Bruce. He wasn't about to start now. He couldn't mention Zatara either. That'd open a whole can of worms he couldn't even begin to find a way to explain.

The red-haired woman appeared next to Mr. Weasley. "Really? What do you mean by that? Molly Weasley, by the way."

Dick shook her hand gingerly. She was obviously Mr. Weasley's wife. "It's a long story," he said. He didn't elaborate any further.

"Well then, let me introduce you to the others." Sirius swept in, leading Dick away from the awkward encounter.

Why he was suddenly being so friendly, Dick had no idea, but he suspected it had something to do with being surrounded by people. That, or he'd suddenly stopped being a child. Dick suspected it was the first reason.

"You met Nymphadora, my favourite cousin," Sirius said, gesturing towards the purple haired woman who'd introduced herself as Tonks. She growled at Sirius. "Call her Tonks though. Likes her last name better, though I can't fathom why. This is Mad-Eye. That's Kingsley Shaklebolt. And there's Professor McGonagall. She teaches at Hogwarts. Hestia Jones. Dedalus Diggle. And there on the end is Snivellus Snape-"

"I am afraid that we don't have time for your foolish jokes, Mr. Black," the greasy haired man drawled, though his glare stayed on Dick. "Especially when we have such an important guest visiting us."

Okay, that was obviously a jab at Dick. Whatever, he'd dealt with worse in Gotham's _polite_ society. He could deal with a bitter man who had no actual ammunition, given no one here seemed to know who he was. It was refreshing. It also made him wonder just how cut off their world was.

"It's very nice to meet you all," Dick said politely. He met Mr. Snape glare with his own calculating gaze. Mr. Snape looked away and puckered his lips as if he'd swallowed a lemon.

After that, everyone else there was quick to introduce themselves.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said after he'd met everyone else in the room. "Since the meeting is done you lot are leaving, I'll get the children for Dick to meet. Is that alright with you, Dick dear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Dick agreed as the chairs began to move and people slowly left out the door.

"Oh, now," Mrs. Weasley said, blushing. "We'll have none of that 'ma'am' stuff here. You can just call me Mrs. Weasley."

Dick nodded and found himself in the kitchen alone with Sirius as everyone left and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went upstairs, no doubt to fetch the children.

Dick leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He heard Sirius do the same next to him.

"Look, I'm sorry for the way I acted," Sirius told him gruffly. "I was just… James was my best friend. I don't like hearing people talk about him like how you were."

Apparently, he was wrong; Sirius had decided to grow up.

"Me too," Dick said tiredly, keeping his eyes closed. "I shouldn't have let my emotions control me like that. I was at fault for pushing your buttons."

Sirius barked a laugh. "Kid, that's the strangest apology I've ever heard. You talk like a businessman."

Dick opened his eyes and looked at Sirius, biting his lip. "Sorry. Habit."

"I figured. There's no way you live in a house like you do with a dad like yours and don't learn to have a poker face," Sirius drawled.

"He's not my dad," Dick argued, looking away.

"I know, I just thought… I don't know what I thought." Sirius laughed again, but this time it was bitter. "It seems like you couldn't escape the same fate as Harry, adopted or not."

Dick didn't say anything but he couldn't help but think about how true that was. Dead parents seemed to be genetic.

"You could have told everyone they died, you know," Sirius said. "Molly would understand. So would everyone else."

"It's not worth it. I don't want their deaths to define me." Besides, and it sounded jaded of him to say, he doubted anyone would really care. Well, they would, but everyone had more important matter to worry about than a teen's dead _adoptive_ parents.

"Hate to break it to you, but your parent's deaths already define you to them. Just not the parents you're used to being defined by."

"It's different," Dick said shortly.

"How?" Sirius asked.

"It just is."

"That didn't answer my question."

"Because I saw them die!" Dick snapped, turning around to face Sirius. "I was right there, and I saw them murdered! That _will_ change how they see me. It always changes how everyone sees me," he finished quietly.

"You never said," Sirius finally managed after a long silence.

"You never asked how they died," Dick countered, but he felt too drained to say much else.

"For the record," Sirius began. "You don't have to share. I can be a bit pushy, but that doesn't mean you need to worry about me telling anyone. It'll stay between you and I if you want. Not even Dumbledore has to know."

Dick closed his eyes. "Good. Thanks."

"If it's not prying, where did you grow up? I know you were at an orphanage in London. You have an American accent though, so I assume somewhere in America," Sirius said.

Dick snorted. "Sorry. No, I didn't grow up in America."

"Where-"

"Kinda all over. Never really stayed in one place longer than a few weeks though," Dick said.

From there they shared a companionable or at least, a semi-friendly silence for a few minutes before a brood of redheads and one bushy brown haired girl came marching in, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Two of the redheads, twins, had angelic expressions on their faces that immediately reminded Dick of Wally whenever he stole food. In other words, they were guilty of something.

One of the redheads was tall, almost as tall as Bruce, Dick would guess, although he didn't look much older than Dick himself. The other redhead was a girl, with long hair and freckles scattered across her face. He would guess that all the redheads were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's children.

The bushy haired girl was average looked. Pretty enough, but average. She definitely wasn't related to any member of the Order he'd met.

They all caught sight of him and froze. Mrs. Weasley bustled around them and stood in between him and the others.

"This is Richard Grayson. He's-"

"Harry's younger brother!" the twin on the left exclaimed.

Mrs. Weasley turned and glowered at him. "And how pray tell, did you know that? Extendable ears, perhaps?"

She sounded dangerous, but both twins merely smiled.

"You know we don't have any more of those, mum," the one on the right said cheerily.

"Yeah," the one on the left agreed. "We would never hide any from you. Especially when you ask us to hand them over."

"Fred, George," Mrs. Weasley growled, but she turned away from them and faced Dick. "Richard, these are my children, and Harry's friend Hermione."

Dick saluted. "Nice to meet you," he said politely.

"Oh, you're from America!" the bushy-haired girl, Hermione, exclaimed "I've always wanted to know how the magical community works there! And what school you go to! There are a few, I've heard. And you're Harry's brother. Did you know?"

Dick blinked at the stream of words, but luckily he'd had enough practice detangling Wally's words when he was using super speed to be able to understand her.

"Um, I'm not actually from America, I just live in America. And I'm not actually sure how the all the magic stuff works there; I didn't know I had magic until yesterday." Dick left the last question alone. It was pretty obvious he hadn't known about having a brother.

"Really? I wonder why you never were invited to a school in America since you live there? Well, at least you'll get to see Hogwarts," she said.

"No," Dick said right away. "I'm not going to Hogwarts. I'm just here a few days each week for the rest of the summer, then I'm heading back home to go to my normal school."

It looked like everyone's eyes popped out of their skulls. Even Hermione, who he had a feeling was an extremely bookish person, looked shocked that he was turning down magic for school.

"You're turning down going to Hogwarts for boring muggle school!" the tall redhead boy exclaimed. "That's a load of rubbish. Are you _sure_ you have magic?"

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed, scandalized. "Just because he values education other than magic doesn't mean he's not magic! Honestly, be polite."

Dick regarded the tall boy, Ronald, coolly. He really didn't appreciate when people made assumptions about him or his life. And he didn't like people who thought his interests weren't worth pursuing. All in all, Ronald annoyed him.

"I'm fairly sure I have magic seeing as Professor Dumbledore said I do. And just because I don't want to leave my home doesn't mean I'm foolish. Besides, calculus is something I doubt they teach at Hogwarts," he finished with a smirk.

Ronald looked confused as the tips of his ears turned red. It was amusing but Dick knew better than to laugh. Ronald opened his mouth again, looking ready to argue loudly when the red-haired girl elbowed him in the stomach hard.

"I'm Ginny Weasley," she introduced herself, looking Dick up and down, but in a kinder way than her older brother. Much less judging. "Ignore my git of a brother."

Dick took her outstretched hand and shook it. She had a strong grip. "I'm Richard, but you can call me Dick."

Both of the twins snickered, but Dick ignored then and kept Ginny's gaze. She seemed to be searching him, for what, he didn't know. Apparently, she found it because she looked away a moment later.

Dick heard Mrs. Weasley shout at the twins for laughing at his nickname.

"So, Dick…" Hermione began, obviously uncomfortable. She leaned in close as if to prevent Mrs. Weasley from hearing. Ronald and Ginny did the same. "How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen," Dick answered. "I'll be fourteen in December though, well, I guess my real birthday's in October, so I'll be fourteen in October."

"Are you sure?" Ronald asked. "You look like a first or second year."

Hermione, for her part, ignored Ronald. "That means that you would have only been a few weeks old at the most when your parents…"

Ah, so that was what she wanted to know. How he came to be in the care of someone other than Harry, who presumably lived with their aunt and uncle. The same aunt that had abandoned him.

"Supposedly Lily went to her sister's house with me the day before Halloween and asked her to watch me for a few days. As soon as Lily left, my aunt left me on the steps of an orphanage. Jealousy, Dumbledore said."

Hermione's mouth dropped open. Ginny turned quite pale, then an angry shade of red. Even Ronald, who didn't seem to like him much, looked fairly disturbed.

Just as Hermione opened her mouth, no doubt to ask another question, Mrs. Weasley interrupted.

"Alright, now that you all know each other, off to bed. Richard has to be home tomorrow, Sirius told me, so he should at least sleep a little." She practically pushed them out of the room and towards the stairs. "Oh, and Ron, Richard will be sharing a room with you. Harry too, once he gets here. So show him it."

Ron grumbled but jerked a finger in a vague motion that said to follow him. Dick scrambled after him. They walked up the stairs, and at one point Dick was sure he saw heads mounted on a wall he barely caught a glimpse of before following Ron down a hallway and into a room.

"You can sleep there," Ron said, gesturing towards a small bed shoved in the corner, away from the bunk he slept on.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Ron said shortly.

Dick ignored the boy. He was probably just angry that it was Dick instead of Harry. Missed his friend or something of the like. Dick was a pretty poor replacement.

He shimmied into his pajamas once Ron went to the bathroom with a toothbrush. Dick really didn't feel like explaining why he had a few… interesting scars. As soon as that was done he pulled out his phone and check for any messages from Bruce. There was nothing other than a quick reminder to be back by dinner time the next day.

At that moment Ron came in and saw Dick looking through his phone.

"Is that a fellytone?" he asked with interest.

Dick looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "It's a cell phone."

"Does it work the same way though? As a fellytone?"

"Do you mean telephone?"

Ron nodded. "Exactly. Does a cell phone work the same way as a telephone?"

"Pretty much." Ron's sudden change in attitude threw him off. "I was just checking to see if Bruce sent me any messages." At Ron's confused look, he amended his statement. "Kinda like letters, but sent through a phone. They pop up as words on the screen."

Ron peered at the phone as though it was magic, then his face hardened. "Who's Bruce?"

"My guardian," Dick answered automatically, then winced. He hadn't really explained that his family was dead. And he'd said guardian.

Surprisingly, Ron made no move with this information. Merely laid down and closed his eyes. Dick followed suit. It may not have been nighttime in Gotham yet, but all the running around in the middle of the night and average of fewer than five hours of sleep left him with the ability to fall asleep whenever he wanted to. Useful in many cases.

"By the way," Ron said. "The door's locked. Don't want Kreacher coming in while we're sleeping."

Dick shot up. "What!"

"You'll meet him at some point. Turn the lights off," Ron mumbled.

Dick listened and reached for the lamp sitting near him. The light dimmed, then went out. It didn't take long for all the exhaustion, emotional or otherwise, to catch up with him. He fell into a deep sleep.


	4. Stretching & Cereal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm kinda on a roll in terms of editing this story. I've decided that I wanna edit the whole thing before posting the next chapter, which is almost completely written. I noticed a few things that can definitely be improved upon on in almost every single chapter. If I could get some feedback on what everyone thinks of the edits, that'd be great! Thanks for reading!
> 
> 7/16/18

_July 22nd_

"Oi! Get up."

Dick groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. It muffled the sounds of footsteps and drawers being opened and closed. Why was Alfred in his room at this-

Oh.

That was right.

He was in London, hiding out in a safe house with the magical version of the Justice League, pretty much. Yay.

At least his life couldn't get any weirder. He was a superhero raised in a circus adopted by a billionaire who was apparently related to the Jesus of the wizarding world. Or at least it couldn't get any weirder in possible ways. Time travel, aliens replacing humans with themselves, Bruce having a kid, and resurrection being just a few examples.

"Are you up yet?" Ron demanded.

Dick groaned again and turned onto his back, blinking up at the red-haired blob above him. His eyes were sticky and refused to open all the way. He reached up and rubbed them hard until he was sure they were clear. Dick opened his eyes again and saw Ron standing above him, now clear instead of a blob. The teen didn't look particularly happy.

"So?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I'm awake," Dick said, sitting up and stretching his arms until he heard a faint pop from the joints.

"Good. Mum said we have to clean," Ron said in clear disgust. "Well, you've got to go to Diagon Alley to get some supplies. She sent me up to make sure you have breakfast before you leave."

Dick hopped out of bed lightly. If there was one thing he was grateful for, it was Bruce's early-morning regimen. It made mornings much faster and efficient, being so used to waking up early and quickly. And he felt surprisingly well rested considering everything. He hadn't even had any nightmares, a common occurrence whenever he slept somewhere unfamiliar.

"What time is it?" he asked Ron. It was slightly irritating having to look up to be able to meet the teen's eyes.

"Almost 10 in the morning. Mum said we should let you sleep 'cause of the time difference and stuff. Said you'd probably been up forever. I tried to tell her you fell asleep before me," Ron added with a scowl.

Dick was getting seriously weird vibes from that kid. Yesterday he's been slightly rude at first, then nicer when asking about Dick's cellphone. Now he was being rude again. Dick didn't know what Ron's problem was, but it seemed to be more about the situation than him. Having to clean while the new kid got to go somewhere? That would probably be annoying.

"I don't get a lot of sleep normally." Dick shrugged. "I've kinda trained myself to take it where I can get it."

"That's nice," Ron muttered, clearly not thinking anything close to that.

Dick ignored him and started to dig through his bag. He'd leave it here when he went back to the Manor to save having to lug it around everywhere. He'd have to be sure that nothing… incriminating was anywhere someone might find it. After a moment more of digging, Dick pulled out a pair of jeans, t-shirt, and hoodie.

Ron left the room at some point while he was searching through his bag. It was a welcome reprieve from the teen's sullen attitude and glares. Also, just like the night before, he'd prefer if his scars stayed secret.

As soon as he shimmied into his clothes, he realized that he should probably do his morning stretches. It wasn't a rule or anything. He didn't have to do them, but he wanted to. It made him feel more connected to his circus roots. To his parents. Though they may not have been his biological ones, they would always be his real parents. The ones he'd remember every time he thought about being tucked in at night. The ones who taught him his first flip on the trapeze.

He took a cross-legged position on the bed he'd slept on and closed his eyes loosely. This was the easy part. Letting his body relax and his limbs take a position, he started. He didn't have to complete anything fast today, instead, he was able to take his time and enjoy the familiar burn that came from pushing his body to its limits and beyond.

Somewhere in the back of his mind and through the meditation-like haze, he heard the door open then close. He paid it no mind as the footsteps receded. Whoever it was had probably realized he was still in here and decided to leave him alone.

That was not the case, Dick realized a moment later as the footsteps returned, this time followed by heavier ones.

"Dick!"

That was Hermione. What did she need? Dick opened his eyes and grinned at her. Sirius was behind her. Both of them were looking at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happened? You look like someone's performed a Tangle Up Curse on you!" Hermione exclaimed. Behind her, Sirius had a wand aimed at Dick, no doubt to fix the 'Tangle Up Curse' Dick was being affected by.

Dick unfolded himself quickly and sat cross-legged on the bed. "I'm fine, guys. There's no curse or whatever on me."

Sirius' eyebrows shot up into his hairline at the sight of Dick untangling himself from, well, himself. He even looked slightly disgusted, heavy on the dis.

"That's an interesting display," he commented, face a shade of green.

"Oh, thank heavens! I was so worried when I came in and you were all tangled up. Ron's been in a foul mood all day and I got worried when you didn't come down right away," Hermione burst out. She almost looked tearful. Actually, she looked like she might cry at any moment. "Why were you doing that?"

"I was stretching," he said simply. "I like to do it every morning."

"How in Merlin's Pants did you learn to do that?" Sirius asked, green draining from his face now that he knew Dick wasn't injured or cursed. For some reason, Dick couldn't help but compare the look Sirius was giving him to a curious dog. Ha. Dog. Sirius, the Dog Star. Unintentional pun.

"No one important," he said lightly, lying through his teeth. His parents were certainly important people.

"So you're okay? No jinxes or hexes that need to be fixed?" Hermione asked, meanwhile, Sirius was eying his limbs warily as if they would start to twist around each other again.

"Nope," Dick said. "Completely fine."

"And it's normal for you to look like a pretzel while doing them?" Sirius asked jokingly, although there was some real concern in his eyes.

"Pretty normal," Dick confirmed.

"Then I'm going to go finish cooking since you're alright," Sirius warned. He left right after. There was still a fair amount of tension between him and Sirius, that much was obvious. Now that neither of them was being affected by emotions though, Dick held out hope they'd end up liking each other a bit more. So far they seemed to be on that path, what with Dick's random breakdown last night about his parents.

Dick was left alone with Hermione, who was biting her lip visibly and obviously holding back a plethora of questions. Dick appreciated that. It was nice that even though she wanted to ask them she was able to keep to herself. Too many entitled people thought they deserved to know his backstory, in real life and hero life.

Dick leaned over and grabbed his phone off the floor before settling back against the pillows on his bed and scrolling through all his new messages.

"Is that the new Wayne Phone?" Hermione asked.

He nodded absentmindedly and opened Wally's new messages.

_You promised to call me today. Why haven't you?_

_Dude, where are you?_

_Are you going to answer me?_

_Heeelllooo? Dick?_

_Richard John Grayson, where are you?_

_Are you grounded?_

_Did Bruce take your phone?_

_Bruce, can you tell me if Dick's grounded?_

The messages ended there and Dick was honestly impressed; Wally hadn't sent a million texts. A true feat. One that deserved a reward. Dick started to type a reply.

"How did you get one of those? They're not even out yet," Hermione said. She didn't sound jealous, just curious. Well, that was a nice change for Dick. Though if she was part of the whole magic world, how did she even know about phones? Ron certainly hadn't.

"Um, I kinda have an inside at the company."

Hermione looked curious but didn't say anything. Again, it was certainly nice to have someone who knew how to keep their mouth shut.

"Really? That's pretty amazing. Does that mean you live in Gotham City? That's where the branch developing the prototype is."

"Yeah, actually, that's where I live. It's pretty… different."

Oh, I forgot, you said you didn't grow up in America; where did you grow up?" she asked.

Dick finally finished his text to Wally and sent it: _Tell you what's going on later._ Now he was able to set the phone down and give his full attention to Hermione.

"I didn't really grow up anywhere, I guess. We moved all over until I was around nine."

"Wow! That's fantastic! What type of place did you live? Anywhere that stick out in your mind?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Everywhere is the only way to describe it. I literally lived for a bit on every continent, well, except Antarctica. I do remember when I was five my parents and I visited the Tower of London and when I was seven we saw a few castles in Ireland. That's not all we saw, but I remember those trips the most. They weren't for work, so I guess that's why they stick out in my mind. My dad insisted on having me ride his shoulders 'cause I was so short he was afraid that they'd lose you."

Suddenly the scene appeared in his mind's eye. A smaller him getting scooped up and thrown on his dad's shoulders, laughing with his mom the whole time.

"They sound like lovely people, Dick. I'm sorry we're taking you away from them so much this summer," Hermione said kindly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The spell was broken and the gloomy room was firmly back in place. He blinked the tears out of his eyes and smiled wistfully into the air.

"It's fine. There's nothing super important I'm missing," he said.

It wasn't like he was trying to keep secrets or anything. He just, he really didn't want to be pitied. He didn't want to have people worrying about him. He didn't want to have to explain what happened to them. He _did_ need to keep it together. For his sake.

"Do you want to grab breakfast then?" Hermione asked. "It's nearly 10:30."

"Sure," he said, hopping off the bed and landing lightly on the floor. "Also, I was wondering what Diagon Alley is? Obviously an alley, I mean. What's so important about it though?"

Hermione stood up, moving in front of him, no doubt to lead him to the kitchen. If only she knew he'd already memorized the path there the night before.

"It's where you buy all your school supplies. Robes, a wand, books, and potion materials. You might even stop at the bank. It's called Gringotts and run by goblins," she informed him.

Dick frowned and furrowed his brows. "Why am I going there then? I already said I'm not going to Hogwarts."

Hermione looked back at him, face slightly red. "I think everyone's hoping you'll change your mind. Hogwarts is the best school for magic. And even if you decide not to, you will still need a wand."

Hermione's voice dropped away as they passed a thick red curtain. Dick opened his mouth to ask her a question but almost like she could sense him, she turned back and pressed a finger to her lips. Dick immediately tensed up.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake up Sirius' mother," she said a few moments later. "As I was saying, you do need a wand and you will need to learn to use magic. Untrained witches and wizards are dangerous to themselves and others."

"I'm guessing they're going to want to teach me some magic while I'm here then? Take advantage of the situation and all that?" Dick guessed.

"That's what Dumbledore has planned with Professor McGonagall," Hermione said apologetically. "At least it'll be fun. Magic is amazing to learn and see."

"Yeah, I guess," Dick sighed.

Hermione opened her mouth, no doubt to add more, but then they arrived in the kitchen. It was empty except for Sirius and Ron, leaning against the counter and sitter and the table in that order.

Ron was eating a sandwich and Sirius was drinking something that smelled like coffee. They appeared to be in a deep conversation about… _broomsticks_?! What the heck. But whatever. Probably just another wizarding world thing he'd learn about later. That or all the stories of witches riding broomsticks had more of a basis in fact than he'd originally thought. Whatever the case, the coffee smelled amazing.

He made his way to the pot on the stove mechanically, leaving Hermione behind by the door. He didn't even bother greeting Sirius or Ron, and instead grabbed what looked like a clean mug and poured a large cup of the strong smelling liquid. He raised it to his lips and took a large gulp. Once he lowered the mug, he saw everyone looking at him.

"You drink coffee?" Sirius asked. "James and Lily always hated coffee."

"Well, I'm not either of them, am I? Besides, coffee is a good way to wake up fully." And a good way to keep yourself functioning after minimal hours of sleep, his brain supplied. After all the times he'd used it for that exact purpose though, he'd gotten used to a cup every morning.

"It's just, you're still a kid," Ron said, not unkindly, just pointing out.

"Really? I didn't know that, oh high and mighty adult." Ron turned red, so Dick was quick to add on: "I'm just kidding. Get traught."

"'Traught'?" Hermione asked. "I don't think that's a word."

Dick scoffed, then took another gulp of coffee. "It should be. I mean, think about it. Distraught is a word, so why isn't traught? Traught should be the opposite of distraught because there's no prefix. It's like overwhelmed and underwhelmed; why isn't anyone just whelmed?"

Sirius looked at Dick quizzically, and both Ron and Hermione seemed to be somewhere between amused and surprised.

"What made you come up with that idea?" Sirius asked. His whole face and body language screamed that he was trying not to laugh.

"Well, English is just a weird language," Dick huffed. "It makes sense when you think about it, especially compared to Romani. Prefixes work differently in other languages. English is the weird one."

"I've never heard of Romani," Hermione said with interest. "Do you speak it?"

He took one last gulp of the strong liquid and enjoyed the feeling of it going down his throat and warming his whole body. "Yeah, it's actually my first language. Definitely hard to learn English compared to it. And it makes sense you haven't heard of it. Romani is the Roma peoples' language."

"Wait, your first language wasn't English? But you don't have an accent," Ron said. "We met Krum, and he had the heaviest accent I've ever heard."

Dick smirked. "I mean, I learned English in America, and I live there, so it's not like I speak anything else that often."

"So you don't have _any_ accent?"

"Ron!" Hermione scolded. "Be polite! Honestly."

"It's fine, Hermione," Dick assured her. "I worked hard to get an American accent. Kids in private school can be pretty discriminatory, especially when you're from a poorer family." He had the feeling that bit of information would get Ron to act a bit more civilly towards him.

Ron seemed to jerk in surprise. "Your family is poor?"

"Well, I always thought that we weren't poor in the important stuff, like happiness and fun. But yeah, we weren't what you'd consider 'rich'." He shrugged. It had never been a big deal before.

Ron was looking at him differently now. It made sense, Dick supposed. Ron seemed very much like the type of person who tends to judge people easily, but once he discovered something about that person that was important, he made his final decision about them, and that decision never changed. Hopefully, Dick's admittance caused that final decision. He'd really like to have some friends while he was stuck in London waiting to meet his brother.

Just because they were closer to becoming his friends didn't mean he was about to tell them anything else, like how he saw his parents were dead or that he got thrown in juvie after they died. That was the type of stuff he likes to keep to himself or only tell close friends like Wally. Sirius Black seemed to be the exception to the rule though. He'd only known the man for a few hours at most before spilling some of his life story.

"Why don't you eat some food, Dick? Kingsley is going to be bringing you to Diagon Alley 11:00 on the dot," Sirius said.

"Sounds good. What is there?" he asked brightly.

"Well, we have some treacle tart? Also pancakes. A few pieces of toast leftover. Might even-"

"Any cereal?" he interrupted Sirius.

Sirius gave him a strange look. "Yes?"

"May I have some of that? I don't really eat any at home. Bruce is always insisting on a healthy meal to start the day." He scrunched his face up in disgust. "I mean, eggs, vegetables, and juice are nice, but some sugary goodness is pretty great once in a while too."

While Sirius just raised an eyebrow and began to prepare a bowl of cereal, Hermione tilted her head and Ron simply stared at him.

"I think you may be the strangest person I've ever met," Ron said cheerily.

"Thanks… I think?"

"Oh, it's a compliment, trust me," Hermione assured him. "We're a strange lot, but you get used to us. I promise."

"Okay by me. And you can't be any stranger than some of my friends," he replied before digging into the cereal Sirius had placed in front of him. "Thanks!"

"Really?" Hermione asked incredulously. "How can anyone you know possibly beat magic?"

"It's a _long_ story," Dick said. "A very long story. But… Wally is definitely weirder so far."

"I doubt it," Ron said, snorting a laugh.

"You haven't ever seen him eat," Dick said darkly.


	5. Ron Learns What Superheroes Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished editing this chapter! Nothing much has changed other than a few minor errors in grammar and some more descriptions of places. There's an AN at the bottom explaining Dick's wand choice. Make sure you check it out and tell me what you think!
> 
> 7/17/18

_July 22nd_

Dick turned the hand mirror around in his hands slowly, taking in every detail. It was really nice, and he meant _really_ nice. Like the type of nice that cost thousands of dollars. Even though the reflective part was covered in grime, dust, and an unidentifiable substance, the handle shone.

"So, why are we throwing all this stuff away? It seems like you'd want to keep it if it belonged to your family," Dick said. He could never imagine throwing away any of his family's belongings, no matter how unimportant.

Dick started to rub his sleeve against the mirror to clear away the dirt but was shocked when Sirius dove forward and snatched the mirror from his hands. Before he could even think, he ended up punching Sirius, again. That probably wasn't the best reaction, but he couldn't really help it.

Sirius rubbed his jaw and tossed the mirror in the garbage, glaring at it. He turned to Dick, smiling slightly. Everyone else was still working, but they were obviously listening to, waiting to find out what was going to happen.

"Nice right hook," Sirius said, looking impressed. "That's the second time. How'd you learn to hit so hard?"

"Sorry, you surprised me." Dick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Practice, I guess?"

"I didn't surprise you last time," Sirius joked, but there was no vehemence behind the words.

Dick winced. "Yeah, sorry about that too."

Sirius shrugged. "It's all right. I probably deserved it anyway. And about the mirror, it's cursed. If you look at your reflection, you can't take your eyes off of it. Why would I want to keep that?"

Dick shrugged. That was a good point. Still, he couldn't imagine hating his family so much he'd be excited to throw away everything they'd ever owned. He turned away and went back to sorting the dresser drawer. Technically Dick didn't have to be helping out, but he still had a few minutes until his babysitter arrived to bring him to Diagon Alley, so he figured he may as well lend a hand.

Along with him and Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins were helping clear out the bedroom. Mr. Weasley was at work and Mrs. Weasley had left the room a few moments ago to start lunch.

"You punched Sirius?" Ron asked, sidling along next to him while looking over a plum coloured robe.

Dick could feel the blood rushing to his face and turning him a very vivid shade of red. It definitely wasn't his proudest moment, punching a civilian (wizard freedom fighter or not, Sirius was a civilian).

"Yeah," he muttered, embarrassed. "There's a story behind it though."

"Well, to be honest, we think that's impressive," one of the twins said. Dick was still trying to find a way to tell them apart. So far though, he's had no luck.

"A true brave moment, punching the convicted murderer," said the other, smiling widely.

"Not the first one," Dick said under his breath.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing important." Dick waved off her question. "Just a random thought."

From there a conversation grew between everyone. Dick watched, feeling strangely left out. He wasn't really a part of their world and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be. As far as he could tell, they were cut off from everything. Plus he liked his life with Bruce. He liked being Robin. He wouldn't trade that for anything, even a brother.

"Hey, Sirius?" one of the twins began.

"Would you mind if we snagged a bit of that sleeping powder we found earlier?" the other one finished.

"It'll come in handy for some of our more… unique tests," the first one added, grinning slyly.

Sirius smirked good-naturedly. "Sure, take it all. We'll keep quiet and make sure your mum doesn't hear about it."

Ron and Ginny seemed to be ignoring the fact that their brothers were taking something that was most definitely slightly dark if everything else they'd found in the room was any judge. Hermione was looking at them scandalized but also fondly. Only one conclusion could be drawn; the twins were trouble-makers, but the fun kind.

The twins grinned at each other wickedly and disappeared with a loud crack. Dick nearly jumped out of his skin, but no one else reacted, so he figured that teleportation must have been a pretty normal wizarding power. It was amusing to imagine what Bruce must think of all the powers wizards had. Somehow he knew that Bruce must have a contingency plan for if any of them went rogue (or more accurately, if any of them started to pose a significant risk to normal civilians, more so than Voldemort currently was).

His idle thoughts on all the different ways Bruce might use to incapacitate a wizard or witch were cut short by a strangled yelp. Dick turned sharply towards the noise to see the robes Ron had been holding strangling him. Sirius leapt forward, wand ready. Hermione and Ginny started to tug it off, but to no avail.

Dick jumped to their side and started pulling on it using all the strength he could muster. They didn't seem to be coming off though. In fact, Dick thought they might have been tighter now. Ron's face was turning a vivid shade of a colour between purple and blue. Finally, Sirius shouted something and a bright light came shooting out of his wand, making the robes fly across the room.

They got up and started to crawl menacingly across the floor towards Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Dick himself. Huh, a sentence Dick never would have imagined himself thinking.

" _Incendio_ ," Sirius muttered and watched the robes burst into flame with a dark look.

_Mental note, wizards and witches can teleport, set things on fire, and create homicidal robes. I'll have to report that to Bruce._

"Why don't you take a break and go have your mum fix those bruises on your neck," Sirius recommended. "Dick, your escort will be here any minute. May as well head down with him."

Dick nodded and followed Ron downstairs. They entered the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley was stirring something in a big pot, looking very much like the stereotypical witch. Along with Mrs. Weasley, a tall man was leaning against the wall. Kingsley Shaklebolt, as he'd been introduced the night before.

Dick hovered by the door as Mrs. Weasley spotted the bruises adoring Ron's neck like some sort of sick necklace and started fawning over him.

"Are you ready to leave?" a measured voice asked.

Dick turned around slowly. He wasn't surprised that Kingsley had moved behind him or talked.

"Yeah, I'm ready. Diagon Alley, right." He wasn't asking, and Kingsley seemed to pick up on that because he merely raised an eyebrow before turning swiftly and exiting the kitchen. Dick followed him.

* * *

_July 22nd_

London was exactly like he remembered it being; busy. People rushed back and forth, all too busy with their own lives and problems to pay attention to the world around. As someone trained by Batman, he found it sad. People missed so much.

Yeah, always paying attention and keeping an eye out could be stressful, but you missed so much if you didn't. It was strange to think that if his parents hadn't died or maybe if his biological aunt hadn't left him on the steps of an orphanage, he would have been just like everyone else. He wouldn't constantly have a voice in his head planning contingencies in case he was attacked or making notes of alternate exits in buildings. He would just be an average kid.

Honestly, though, he liked being like this. He wouldn't say that watching his parents die, or them dying in general, was worth it to become more aware of the world and the people surrounding him, but it was nice. It was annoying sometimes, like having to write reports on things (he'd definitely be writing one on everything he'd learned about magic at some point for Bruce), but it also gave him the chance to appreciate the things most people missed. Clouds that looked like cotton candy at the circus. The small chirping of a robin in the distance.

Everything, _everything_ , was just so amazing in the world. Every time he came to London he got like this. Really nostalgic. It was the last place him and his family had gone on vacation before. They hadn't done anything special. Only walked around the city. Walking like this reminded him of that. Though he did wonder why they were walking through the city. You'd think they could just teleport to Diagon Alley.

Actually, that was a good question. Dick looked up at the silent figure walking beside him to ask just that, but he was interrupted by a Kingsley raising a finger to his lip.

"We're going in there," Kingsley said, pointing to a shabby looking bar, or if Dick was being British, pub.

The sign hanging from the building said: The Leaky Cauldron. A very fitting name, considering. Was it just him, or did everyone in the wizarding world follow the stereotypes that normal people believed? Or maybe it was that wizards and witches had done it all fist and it became a stereotype after. Whatever the case, that was something he'd have to research later, for his own curiosity.

He followed behind Kingsley close as they entered the building. No one on the street seemed to notice them enter or even see the building. Their eyes just slid over it to the shops on each side. If he had to guess, Dick would say something probably hid it from view. Magic was likely. Though that didn't really make sense because Dick saw it. Kingsley too, since it was where he was leading them. Dick would have to ask about it later.

The inside of the building was just as dilapidated as the outside but in a homey way. It looked lived in. Warm. Comforting. There was a multitude of tables spread through the room and in the back a creaky old staircase. The room was bursting with people, some of whom seemed to recognize Kingsley, and greeted him. The barkeeper smiled a toothless smile and nodded his head.

Kingsley greeted everyone politely, and when one woman asked something about some law (probably a coworker), he answered her promptly.

"Oh, hello. I didn't see you there. What's your name?" the woman asked him sweetly, Darla, Kingsley had called her a moment ago.

"This is my godson, Richie. His parents were unable to bring him shopping for school, so I volunteered," Kingsley told her. Ugh, Richie. Bratiest name ever.

"Oh, your parents are missing your first year shopping. That's too bad." She turned toward Kingsley. "I didn't know you had a godson."

Dick could sense the question inside her innocent statement so he jumped in with a perfect Cockney accent and a sweet smile, pushing aside the irritation at her assuming he was eleven. He wasn't _that_ short. "I don't get to see Uncle Kingsley that often, so I'm really excited to spend the day with him."

He definitely laid it on a bit thick, but the woman gave a light laugh and left with a quick goodbye, so it counted as a success in his book.

"Impressive accent," Kingsley complimented as they went out the back door stopped in front of a brick wall. "It must have been difficult to learn."

Dick smirked. "Thanks. And I'm a jack-of-all-trades. It wasn't that hard. Should I keep using it?"

"Yes. It will keep you from receiving any unwanted attention. You should also say you are entering first year."

"Why? I mean, I can, but I already get called young a _lot_. It'd be nice to avoid it here," he said, accent firmly in place.

"You are going to be studying first year, correct?"

"Yes?"

"It will be much less suspicious to have a first year buying first year books than a third year."

Oh. That made sense. Wait…

"Quick question, Well two. Why are we in this alley, and I thought I was going to learn magic back home? That's what was planned with Professor Dumbledore, at least."

"Dumbledore has recommended that you spend some time while you are in London learning spells in Grimmauld Place. It has enough wards that you won't get caught practising magic outside of school," Kingsley said.

"And the alley question?" he reiterated.

Kingsley didn't answer him, instead pulling his wand out and tapping a pattern on the bricks. Dick watched in wider as they seemed to fold in on themselves, exposing a gaping archway into the busiest street he'd ever seen.

"That's what we were in the alley for," he said faintly.

The only way to describe the street was magical, and the irony of that wasn't lost on him. People scurried about dressed in robes and wearing tall, pointed hats. Some vendors were shouting about things he couldn't even begin to imagine. It was enough to make his head spin.

He turned around and around, wide eyes taking everything in. All of the buildings were a little crooked, almost like they shouldn't be standing, or something invisible was holding them up. _Magic_ , his mind supplied. Sure, he'd been to the Watchtower and all corners of the world, and those were amazing, but this magic stuff was pretty cool too.

Kingsley gave him an amused look and nearly smiled. "It is astounding, isn't it?"

Dick took a few steps forward. "I've seen cooler." Still, this came pretty close. "So, what are we getting?"

"A wand, along with several first year spell books," Kingsley said.

Dick nodded his head absentmindedly, still observing everything. "Sounds good. Lead the way, Uncle Kingsley."

The man shook his head in some form of exasperation and strode down the street ahead of Dick. He followed, stay a few feet back, mostly so he could look at everything. Shops selling owls, frogs, eyeballs, cauldrons, books. Everything you could think of really.

They came to a stop in front of a shabby building called Ollivanders. In the dusty window was a faded purple display pillow and on top of that was a long stick. _Wand_ , he realized.

Kingsley opened the door and looked back. Dick scurried past the man and inside the dim shop. Immediately he was faced with a short man whose white hair stuck up every which and pale eyes seemed to stare into his very soul.

"Ah, Mr. Potter, I have been expecting you. Garrick Ollivander"

Dick jerked back, despite the airy way his... unknown name? was said. Was this man part of the Order? Was it okay that he knew? What damage could he cause with the knowledge?

"I-it's Grayson. Richie Grayson," he said smoothly, Cockney accent still strong despite his nerves.

"Is it?" the old man asked, in a way that said he knew the answer already.

Dick glanced at Kingsley, but the man didn't seem overly concerned, so he lowered his guard a bit. "Yes, it is. I'm here to get a wand."

"Of course you are. Come here then." Dick took a step forward, ending up directly in front of the counter. "Which arm is your wand arm?"

Dick held his left out. "This one."

"A bit unusual," Ollivander muttered, nevertheless, he began to measure Dick's arm and fingers.

He watched with curiosity as the man scampered off into the back of the store piled high with long boxes. It was only after trying (futility, he might add) to spot Ollivander that he noticed the tape measure was still measuring him, only now it was his left foot.

Suddenly there was a thud. Dick's head snapped towards the noise, and he waited in an uneasy type of concern until he spotted the head of white hair moving towards him again, this time holding one of the long boxes.

"Cherry Wood, 13 ⅓ inches, unicorn hair core, quite whippy." He pulled a stick out of the box and shoved it in Dick's hand. "Go ahead, wave it around."

Dick obeyed and was more than a little shocked when nothing happened. After all the build-up, he would have thought an explosion or something was about to occur. Almost as soon as he finished waving it, it was snatched from his hand.

"No, no, no. Definitely _not_ unicorn hair for you." A second later a different wand was pushed into Dick's hand. "Let's try phoenix feather then, like your brother."

Dick didn't hide the small flinch. What was it with this guy? Why did he know so much? And why was he so creepy?

He swung the wand roughly and wasn't surprised when it was snatched back. "No. You are not a phoenix feather type. Dragon heartstring it is then."

He placed another wand in Dick's hand, and while this one actually felt… almost like magic. When he swung it though, nothing happened. Ollivander snatched it back again, looking very pleased.

"That one seemed like it would work," he said quickly.

"Ah, Mr. Grayson, the wand chooses the wizard. You can't just take any. It must choose you."

Okay, so pieces of stick and random magical creatures could think. That was good to know. He sighed and prepared himself for a long wait.

They went through wand after wand, and with each passing moment, Ollivander seemed to become more and more excited. It was almost like the puzzle was fun for him. They tried every possible combination of dragon heartstring and wood possible, or at least that was what it felt like before Ollivander went into the back again and came out with a new box.

"Holly, 12 inches, dragon heartstring, very flexible," he murmured. "Try it."

Dick took the wand with a bored air. He didn't really expect it to work at this point, so when an invisible warmth came over him, he nearly dropped the wand. As it was, he did stare at it with the strangest expression he could ever imagine.

"So, we found it," Ollivander whispered in glee. "And such an interesting combination. Holly is a wonderful wood to help balance anger, and dragon heartstring is quite powerful. The length is a little longer than I would have expected for you, but not too uncommon. The flexibility, that is what makes me curious. It's not something you see with dragon heartstring all that often. You'll have to take good care of that wand, young man."

Dick gulped and nodded. Ollivander's eyes were looking at him with a strange intensity, even worse than Alfred's worst glare.

"Thank you, sir," he said politely because as creepy as the guy was, he wouldn't forget his manners. Plus, he had more now to report to Bruce about. Namely the whole 'the wand chooses the wizard' thing.

Kingsley finally stepped forward from the corner he'd stayed in the whole time and dropped a few gold coins on the counter.

"Thank you, Ollivander," he said slowly.

Ollivander nodded, but just before they left the open door, he said: "You and your brother have the same wand wood."

Dick looked the old man in the eyes, but suddenly they were much less piercing. He turned away and followed Kingsley out the door.

"That was… a different experience," he finally said as they enter the massive bookstore.

"Most people are quite thrown off by him the first time they meet him as well."

"Not just that, I just… I never knew that wands felt so _magical_ when you hold them."

Kingsley smiled. "They are fascinating things."

They devolved into silence after that, with Kingsley scanning the bookshelves. It was pretty boring, because as amazing as this bookstore was, he had no clue what he was supposed to look for, and that meant he was staying close to the man. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm gonna head upstairs and look at some more books."

Kingsley didn't say anything, but Dick took that to mean yes and jumped up the steps two at a time.

As soon as he began to look through all the books, he swore he was drooling. There were spells for everything it seemed. Ageing potions. Curses. Hexes. Potions in general. Biographies of people. Perhaps what surprised him the most was when he took a thick volume labelled 'Magical Math Applications', and the picture on the front moved.

It was so shocking he slammed it back onto the bookshelf on reflex and took a step back. Right into someone.

"Potter," a voice behind him growled.

He turned around sharply to correct the teen behind him but said teen seemed to have realized that whoever bumped into him was not who he had been expecting. His pale features scrunched in confusion.

"No. I'm Richie. It's nice to meet you, and sorry for bumping into you." He stuck out his hand. The blonde simply scoffed and tried to shove him, keyword; tried. He didn't budge. "So that's what I get for trying to be polite, huh? Lovely, isn't it?"

"Out of my way, mudblood," the teen hissed.

Dick narrowed his eyes. He may not understand wizarding slang yet, but that was clearly an insult, and he didn't take well to people insulting him. It was something about growing up in a circus, a place where everyone was treated equally, he supposed.

"I don't know what that means, but I'm smart enough to know it's not nice."

"Points to you," the teen mocked. "You're a genius!"

"Thanks for noticing. Though I work hard to keep it under wraps. Could it just be our secret?"

"You'll regret this when you start Hogwarts this year," the teen warned.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, not too worried. This kid seemed to be all bark and no bite. Plus, he wasn't going to Hogwarts.

The guy pushed past him. Dick stared at the person a moment longer, trying to get a good read on him. Something about the kid was strangely similar to Ron. Maybe it was the way they both stood as if they expected to be ignored or stuck in the background, so they acted bigger and better to get attention.

Whatever the case, that kid was another reason he was glad to be _not_ going to Hogwarts. He turned back towards the books and resumed browsing.

* * *

_July 22nd_

"Are you sure you want to head back tonight, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked him kindly from the doorway.

"Yeah. I had this thing planned already and I don't want to miss it," he said, not looking up from his phone. He was texting Wally. Mrs. Weasley sighed, but said goodbye and left. He listened as her footsteps disappeared down the stairs.

"When are you coming back?" Hermione asked. She was sitting on the floor in the room he shared with Ron, who was on his bed.

"I don't know." Dick tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I'm pretty busy this summer, but I should be back on the 26th. I promised my friend I'd hang out with him a little this summer, 'cause we live in different cities, so we don't see each other that often."

"Oh. Where does your friend live?" Hermione asked.

"Central City." Dick shrugged. "We usually drive and meet halfway and we hang out. I live in Gotham City, so it's a trip."

"Really? How did you meet?"

Dick finally looked up from his phone, his cheeks hot. "Oh, um, it was at a school contest." True, that was their first civilian meeting.

"What type of contest?"

"There was a mathlete meeting and a regional science fair that both our schools were competing in. I was finished my math meet, and went to watch the science stuff, and bumped into him. Literally."

Hermione was glowing like Christmas had come early, but just as she opened her mouth to speak: "Um, Hermione?" Ron asked. "How far away are Central City and Gotham City?"

"You haven't heard of Gotham?" Dick asked with raised eyebrows. "Ever?"

Ron shook his head. "No, why? Is it important?"

"Um, yeah, kinda. It's supposed to be the most crime-ridden city in the United States!" He could deal with them not having access to tech, not knowing everything about how most people lived, but not even knowing basic geography? That was unacceptable and dangerous. What if they accidentally went to another country with a spell and didn't know how to get back? Or where they were?

"Oh, and isn't that also one of the cities that a member of the Justice League protects? Batman?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"Yeah," Dick said.

"Who are the 'Justice League'?" Ron asked.

"Seriously, the wizarding world needs to have a mandatory class on muggles or something," Dick said. "Because this is just sad."

Ron glared at him, but not really meanly, more… jokingly. Well, it was nice to know he was still making a positive impact.

"Ronald, the Justice League are a group of _superheroes_ who protect the world," Hermione said. "They fight crime and other superpowered villains."

"Superpowers?" Ron asked, completely clueless.

"Okay, so you know how there are other planets, right?" Ron gave him a look that clearly meant something along the lines of 'I'm not dumb'. Dick held his hands up. "Sorry, but in my defence, you didn't know what a cell phone was until I explained it to you." Ron continued to glower at him. "Anyway, one of the superheroes is this guy called Superman. He can fly and is pretty much invulnerable. He has these powers 'cause he's from another planet."

Ron's eyes bugged. "Wait, what!"

Dick continued. "Then there's the Flash, a guy who runs at superhuman speeds, like, fast enough to run around the world in an hour. Other aliens, and a few magic users. Then there are the heroes that are just normal humans without powers. Like Batman. He fights crime using his own skill."

"Are you serious? Hermione, is he serious?" Ron demanded.

"Yes, Ron. It's completely true," Hermione said. "You know," she mused. "They really should have a course about this at Hogwarts, just so that if anyone is in the muggle world they know how to act."

"Also, I think a lot of normal stuff would be useful too. Like a phone," Dick said.

"The problem with that is that in areas magic is used a lot of muggle electronics don't work," Hermione said. "But maybe if someone could find a way to keep all the excess energy in the air from ruining it-"

"Then it would work anywhere!" Dick exclaimed. "I bet that's why my phone works here! It has a new processor built in to prevent power overloads."

Ron looked between them in confusion but didn't say anything, so Dick figured he must have been used to Hermione acting very similar to how he was now, well, him and her were right now.

"How powerful is the processor? It must be really good."

"It's a-"

"Ah, it's lovely to see you all getting along," an airy voice said from the door.

All conversation ceased, and the three of them turned towards Dumbledore.

"Hi, Professor. Are you bringing me home then?" Dick asked eagerly. Not that he wasn't having fun, but he was excited to see Bruce and go on a mission with the Team.

"Yes, Mr. Grayson. Are you ready?"

Dick looked at his stuff, threw his abandoned phone into his pocket, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and jumped to his feet. "Yeah, I'm ready. Bye, guys."

"Bye, Dick," Hermione said.

"Bye," Ron muttered.

Dick followed Dumbledore down the stairs and outside, where the house seemed to vanish once they were off the steps. Dick turned back towards Dumbledore in time to see the man pull an old soda can out of his robes in the light of a single flickering street lamp.

"Grab on," Dumbledore said cheerily.

Dick but a hand on, and wasn't surprised when he had the feeling of someone yanking him and the world blurred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Dragon Heartstring was chosen because I felt it was a good match. Dick does have a hidden level of ferocity and anger, not that everyone with Dragon Heartstring does. I mean, look at Hermione. I just felt it was a good match. Also, it's supposed to be very powerful.
> 
> The length wasn't really anything special. I just liked the idea of his wand being a little longer than Harry's.
> 
> I chose Holly as the wood because I wanted him and Harry to have a connection of sorts with their wand. Holly is supposed to be a good wood for balancing anger and keeping things in control, and that made it sound like a good match.
> 
> The wand is flexible because it seemed fitting. Having a powerful wand be not rigid, but flexible, open to change, seemed to be a good match for Dick. The parallels of him having a flexible wand when he was an aerialist/acrobat also appealed to me.
> 
> I'd love to hear what you guys think though. Any comments? Also, I mentioned it up top, but I'm really curious, did I do a good job staying in character? Your opinions? And what did you think of having Kingsley go with him to Diagon Alley? I wanted to do someone different than normal because, in every story like this, it seems to be Tonks or a Weasley who brings someone shopping.


	6. Planning Ahead & Dinner With Magicians

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished editing this chapter. Honestly, I didn't really change anything other than a few simple mistakes with grammar and spelling. As always, it'd be really great to hear what you all think of the edits. I think they're definitely making the story run smoother. Overall, the next few chapters shouldn't need a ton of editing, so hopefully, I can get those done fast.
> 
> FYI, this takes place after the episode Drop Zone.
> 
> 7/20/18

_July 24th_

_Hey, dude, are you coming over today?_

_Yeah. Be there in a few mins. Just gotta zeta over. Pick me up?_

_No problem, bro._

Dick turned his phone off and shoved it in his pocket before leaving his room and taking the steps two at a time. After the mission two days ago, it would be nice to just hang out with Wally and relax. No missions. No crazy villains. And most importantly, no magic robes or anything trying to strangle anyone.

Dick skidded down the hallway and slid into Bruce's study.

"Hey, I'm heading to Wally's place," he informed Bruce. "Is that alright?"

Bruce didn't look up from the paperwork he was reading, but he did grunt. Luckily, Dick was well versed in the skill of translating the older man's grunts into normal English. It was easy to understand that the grunt meant: 'Okay. Be back by six. We have guests coming over for dinner.'

"You got it, boss man," Dick agreed, saluting loosely.

He went over to the grandfather clock in the corner of the study. After putting the code in, Dick ran down the steps that appeared, careful not to slip on the damp stone. He only really slowed down when he reached the zeta tube, and that was only so it could scan him.

The tube lit up with a blinding white light. The sensation of having the very atoms and particles that made up himself being disassembled then put back together wasn't something he enjoyed very much. It felt like when his foot fell asleep, except across his whole body and making it all tingle. It definitely wasn't a pleasant situation, but no one else he talked to seemed to understand it. The one time he'd mentioned it to Bruce, the man had run a full diagnostic scan on the system and a _very_ thorough check-up on him. Afterwards, he'd been forbidden from using any zeta tube for a week.

He stepped out of an ugly phone booth and breathed in the clean air. Gotham was his home, but it was always amazing to smell the cleaner air from other cities, like Central. He revelled in it every time he went anywhere out of his city. Even in a dirty alley, the air was cleaner than the nicest part of Gotham. It was kinda sad when he thought about it.

He hadn't bothered with sunglasses or anything to disguise himself. No one usually recognized him as Dick Grayson if he didn't have slicked-back hair and a fancy suit on. That gave him pretty much free reign in Central City to walk to Wally's house without questions about how he got from Gotham to Central from random strangers.

He started walking, exiting the alley and coming out on a busy downtown street. The zeta tube wasn't anywhere near Wally's house or Barry's. Since both of the heroes that worked in Central could run anywhere in the city in a few minutes, and both lived on opposite side of the city, the zeta tube had just been put in the middle. Convenient for speedsters, less so for normal humans, like him.

It would probably take around thirty minutes for him to reach Wally's house on foot, but luckily, his friend was a speedster and Dick had already texted his friend to come and pick him up. Still, it wouldn't hurt to start walking.

"Huh, I never thought I would say this," Dick began, turning towards his left where he knew Wally had just appeared. "But I think I like speedster travel better."

Just as he finished saying that, Wally grabbed his upper arm and suddenly they were in front of his house. It was only there that what Dick told him registered.

Wally's eyes widened before a smug grin lit up his face. "Oh really? Is it better than the Batmobile?"

Dick scoffed. "No. Batmobile is definitely better. But there was this thing I tried a few days ago, and it sucked. Travelling by speedster is better."

"Ha! I knew you'd admit it eventually!" Wally boasted. "Only better than one thing, but still better! Oh, and what is it better than?"

Dick looked at Wally, seriousness plastered on his face. "If I tell you, I have to kill you."

Wally, who had begun to walk up his porch, stopped and turned back towards Dick slowly. "I can't tell if you're kidding or not. Which kinda worries me."

"Relax, I'm kidding." Wally's face relaxed. "But I would have to erase your memories if I told you."

"Okay… that aside, wanna come in?"

Dick didn't answer, merely flipped onto the porch, bypassing the steps and his redhaired friend. It hadn't really been a question he needed to answer anyways. It was obvious he wanted to come in, especially since Wally had invited him over.

"So, why'd you bail on me a few days ago?" Wally asked, grabbing a bag of chips off the top of the fridge and tearing them open before zooming to the couch and sitting next to him. "Did B ground you?"

Dick shook his head. "Nah, well, he did, but that wasn't why I didn't call you. It's kinda a long story." And one he wasn't sure he wanted to share, at least, not yet. Wally was his best friend, but he wanted to keep everything close right now. Plus, if Wally was known for one thing, it was his disbelief in magic. It was one of the only things they ever disagreed on. Wally was a firm non-believer, and Dick was a dutiful believer. Everything that was happening would be hard for Wally to accept.

"What's the story then?" Wally asked, tossing Dick an Xbox controller. "We can play that one zombie game. My parents are at work, so my mom won't bug you about playing it. Seriously, what part of 'he lives in Gotham' doesn't she understand?"

"Um, the part where I live in Gotham? It is kinda weird, I mean, I'm thirteen, but your mom seems to have it in her head that I'm ten or something." He didn't answer Wally's first question, something the other boy obviously noticed, but left alone.

"Well, you are short," Wally teased. "I bet that's why."

"Dude! I'm not that short," he complained. "I'll have a growth spurt soon."

Wally snickered. "Yeah, I'm sure. How tall are you now? Five feet?"

Dick watched as the game finished loading up and immediately killed Wally's character before muttering sullenly "Four feet, seven inches."

Wally flinched when his character died, but at Dick's admittance, he preened. "See? Short."

"Whatever," he muttered, before killing Wally's new character again.

"Dude," Wally groaned, slumping into the couch. "Not cool. Let me live."

"No way." He scoffed. "Not after you said I'm short."

"But you are," Wally argued, then paled. "Please don't."

Dick ignored his friend, grinned evilly, and said: "Bet I'm still tall enough to knock you down."

Wally stood up and held his hands out in front of himself. "Now Dick, let's think about this. I'm-"

It was too late. He jumped and tackled Wally to the floor where they proceeded to wrestle. Wally had superspeed, which made him hard to catch, but Dick made up for it with the ability to squirm out of any hold Wally was able to get him in.

He cackled, and Wally laughed. The video game was left forgotten as they started to fight. It was fun to do it like this, without mentors looking on and watching for mistakes they made. Not for training, just being normal teenage boys. It was nice to forget about everything else that was going on. Not have to worry or think about long lost brothers. Not trying to lead the Team and failing. Just messing around with Wally.

Maybe he wasn't ready to talk to Wally about what was going on yet, but he would be eventually. For now, his friend had already helped.

* * *

_July 24th_

"Hey, Bruce," Dick greeted when he entered the study from behind the grandfather clock. "When are the guests supposed to be here? And what are they here for?"

Bruce looked up from his paperwork. "They should be here any minute."

"You didn't answer my other question," he complained.

Bruce smirked. "I know. You'll find out during dinner."

"For the record, that doesn't count as an answer," he said.

Bruce waved him away. "Go get changed. There are a few too many chips on your t-shirt."

Dick shrugged sheepishly. "Wally and I had an impromptu wrestling contest. The chips are totally not my fault though." Bruce gave him a look and raised one eyebrow. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm changing."

He left the office and walked up the bannister, then flipped off once he reached the top. One thing he loved about Wayne Manor was how big everything was. It made it significantly easier to do all sorts of stuff that he wasn't technically allowed to do.

Ten minutes and one new shirt later he was standing behind Bruce in the Batcave and waiting for the zeta tube to activate. He was trying to think which heroes knew their identities and what reason they would be coming over. Really, the only person he could think of who would have a reason to come over would be Zatara.

He was the only person who could possibly have a reason to come. Plus, he already knew their identities, as Bruce had informed him a few days earlier. What he was still really stuck on was who else was coming. Bruce had said 'guests'. That implied two or more people coming.

His train of thought was cut short by a robotic female voice announcing: "Recognized. Zatara, One-One. Access granted. Zatanna Zatara, A-Zero-One. Authorization: Zatara, One-One."

The tube lit up, and out of the bright light stepped a tall, dark-haired man in a suit, and right behind him a girl. The girl, _Must be Zatanna. Bet she's his daughter_ , his mind informed him lazily, was gorgeous. She had long black hair and the bluest eyes he'd ever seen, and at the sight of her, his mind had trouble focusing, that is, until Bruce cleared his throat.

He stepped forward and put a charming smile on his face. "Hi. I'm…" He paused. What name was he supposed to give her? It was obvious that Zatanna already knew who they were, and she probably did too. It wasn't like him and Bruce were in their uniforms or anything. Better safe than sorry though. "Robin."

Zatanna took his outstretched hand and shook it, then turned towards her father, who was talking to Bruce.

"As always, it is good to see you, Bruce, but why did you invite me here and ask me to bring Zatanna along?"

Dick turned his attention away from the exchange and sidled over to the girl again. She was probably his age.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Zatanna. That's my dad." She nodded her head towards where Bruce and Zatara were having a quiet conversation, returning his greeting from earlier. "So, why are we here?"

Dick flinched. "I'm, ah, not sure. I mean, I have an idea of why Zatara came, but I'm not sure why he wanted you to come over too." _Or basically, let you know our real names_ , he added mentally.

Not that he wasn't excited, but Bruce protected their identities fiercely. If he was letting Zatara's daughter know, Dick wasn't going to complain, even if he was slightly confused why.

"So, why did we come then?" she asked with a smirk. He decided he liked her.

"Well… B may or may not be worried about something that happened to me that has to do with magic." He shrugged. "That's the gist of it, I guess."

Zatanna grinned. "That sounds interesting. So, since I'm seeing you without a mask, and I now know who Batman is, does that mean you're gonna tell me your name?"

Dick smirked. "I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Well duh," she said. "But I want you to tell me. It doesn't count as knowing unless the person tells me themselves."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, it just doesn't seem fair. I mean, what if I accidentally heard my dad at a talking about a meeting and using real names? I find it's a better policy to pretend you're imagining it until the person tells you on their own too because that means they trust you." She blushed. "A little dumb, but it's what I do."

"Nah, I think it's cool. Batman is _definitely_ not like."

"Well, he _is_ Batman. It makes sense that he'd-"

"Zatanna," Zatara called. "Come along. We are heading upstairs."

"Coming, dad," Zatanna yelled back. "So, heading upstairs, Robin?"

"Yup. And then dinner, where I'm sure we'll both find out for sure what's going on."

"Then let's go. Race you."

She took off running in the direction the two adults had already disappeared. Dick raced after her, catching up quickly, then pulling ahead. He took the steps up two at a time, something Zatanna seemed to be doing as well, judging by her footsteps.

He dashed out from behind the grandfather clock just a few steps ahead of her and saw both Bruce and Zatara waiting for them, arms crossed.

"Ready for dinner," Bruce asked with a raised eyebrow.

Dick smiled sheepishly, something he saw Zatanna mirroring to her father out of the corner of his eye. They followed behind the two adults at a normal pace. He'd just met Zatanna, but he could tell she was pretty awesome. Anyone who was so chill about secret identities was cool in his book.

Both of them continued exchanging grins the whole way to the dining room. Alfred was already there waiting for them, and on the table were four plates waiting, heavenly smells wafting from them. Dick could almost imagine himself floating, like in cartoons. That was how good they smelled.

He went to his place, and Zatanna sat next to him. Bruce and Zatara sat on the opposite side of the table, Zatara glaring at him briefly before sitting down.

Everyone took a small bite almost simultaneously. The room was soon filled with the sound of chewing, but only for a few minutes.

"So, Bruce has informed me of your problem," Zatara said, looking Dick straight in the eyes. "And I have agreed to help."

Dick almost choked in surprise at the sudden words. "Okay," he managed finally.

Zatanna looked at him curiously, then turned towards her father. "What am I here for then, dad?" she asked.

Zatara sighed and rubbed his nose, but it was Bruce who answered. "I asked him to bring you. I thought it might be helpful for Richard to have someone his age willing to help him."

Zatanna nodded like it made complete sense, but as soon as her Zatara and Bruce were in distracted with conversation, she turned towards Dick. "What would I be helping with?"

Dick sighed. "So, turns out I have some magic ability, and it was either learn it here or in some British boarding school so I don't accidentally hurt anyone."

Zatanna's eyes widened, but then she grinned hugely. "You have magic?"

"Got a wand and everything," he confirmed.

"Oh. Are you going to learn the European style then? I mean, you probably don't know the different styles if you just found out. Sorry." She was blushing faintly.

"I guess? I mean, I know the magic your dad uses is different than the magic I'm supposed to learn but isn't it all the same, just different styles?" he asked.

Zatanna took a bite of chicken and chewed thoughtfully. She swallowed. "Well, yeah, they all come from the same gene, so technically you could learn any style. I think if my dad's teaching you, you'll probably learn something more like the type we use than what traditional British wizards use. I know a little of most styles, just like my dad, and he let me choose which one I wanted to study after I tried all of them though, so that might be what he has you do. It gives you the ability to decide which feels best to you then."

Dick nodded and sorted all the information in his head.

"I guess this means we'll probably see a lot of each other then, if my dad's teaching you, he'll probably have lessons at our house, and have me join you. I'm still learning, and sometimes teaching can help you learn."

"Well that sounds fun," he managed. He definitely _wasn't_ excited at the prospect of getting to see Zatanna more often.

"I'll be totally chalant about knowing more magic than you, promise," she said with a grin.

Dick felt his own grin building at her words. Anyone who was willing to take prefixes off words was totally asterous in his book.

* * *

_July 26th_

"When do you need me back, Bruce?" Dick asked without looking up from his suitcase and to the door.

"The first magic lesson is on the 2nd. Training with Black Canary is on the 3rd. I expect you'll be able to go back after training," Bruce said matter of factly.

"Could we push it back to the 5th?" he asked. "I want to be able to patrol with you a bit too. Don't want you forgetting what I look like."

He didn't want to be away from Bruce the whole summer. Sure, they didn't always get along, and sometimes Bruce could just be _so_ frustrating, but he was still like a father to Dick.

"We can push it back to the 5th," Bruce agreed. "And Dick? Don't forget, you're not there on a mission. Have fun. Make friends. And when your brother eventually arrives, get to know him."

Dick huffed a laugh. "But still report anything new, right?"

Bruce made a noise somewhere between a scoff and a snort.

Dick laughed and looked up at the man. "Come on, you know you want me to tell you everything."

"Sure, chum, sure." Bruce ruffled his hair.

Dick ducked away from the hand and slammed his suitcase shut. "When is Dumbledore supposed to be here?"

Bruce's easygoing smile was replaced with a worried look of some sort. _It kinda makes him look constipated_ , Dick thought with amusement. Of course, he wouldn't ever share that. Ever. Who knew where Bruce would bury him if he ever did voice that opinion?

"Aw, are you gonna miss me," he teased.

"You are glad you're going, right, Dick?" Bruce asked.

Dick felt his smile become softer, less teasing and more hopeful. "Yeah, I really am. I haven't met him yet, but from what his friends tell me, he's pretty cool. Plus he's saved the wizarding world a few times, so there's that. It must run in the family," he added cheekily.

Bruce shook his head with something resembling a fond smile. "Glad to hear it, just remember-"

"'Don't let the opinions of others decide how you're going to view someone'," he droned. "I know, Bruce."

"Good."

They descended into an awkward silence, which was thankfully broken by Alfred.

"Master Bruce, Master Dick, your guest is here," Alfred informed them. "He's waiting in the foyer."

"Thanks, Alfred. Be down in a moment." Dick said.

The second Alfred left Dick wrapped his arms around Bruce in a quick hug, but let go and exited the room before his guardian even had a chance to react. He walked down the stairs and approached the old man waiting for him.

"I'm ready to go," he said.

Dumbledore nodded and pulled a rotten looking book out of his robes. At this point, Dick knew the drill. He grabbed on and waited a moment before the world blurred and the feeling of being punched in the gut assaulted him.

* * *

_July 26th_

"Oh, Dick. You're back," Ginny said. She sounded surprised to see him. "Where's Dumbledore?"

"He had to leave. Just waited outside for me to get into the building, then poofed," he explained.

"Oh. Okay." She turned to walk away, but he put a hand on her shoulder.

"What did you need him for?" he asked.

"Oh, I didn't need him, but mum did. Don't know why though. Something to do with the Order." Ginny's voice sounded particularly bitter. It was familiar to him.

"Let me guess," he began. "'Oh, you're only a child. This is for the grown-ups. You're too young to know anything that's going on, never mind if knowing will actually make you feel safer'."

Ginny giggled at his high pitched imitation of basically every member of the order. He grinned in triumph. He'd been worried Ginny didn't like him after she started to avoid him when he'd been here the first few days.

"That's dead on," she giggled.

He stepped back and took a dramatic bow before standing back up. "I live to please."

"Geez, you're such an attention seeker," she said in a friendly manner, probably hoping to avoid offending him.

"I am," he agreed. "I really am. It's something about being an only child."

Ginny suddenly frowned and turned away from him. What was he doing wrong?

"I'm sorry," she suddenly blurted out. He looked at her in confusion. "I just, I feel bad. This must be hard, having your whole life changed like this. And getting a brother, and everything really."

He blinked in surprise. "Well, my cousin John and I were practically brothers. It's not that strange. Well," he amended. "The having magic bit is." She snorted. "But it's… nice. I've always wanted more family."

Ginny bit her lip and crossed her arms. "It's not just that. I just, I feel bad for Harry too. He doesn't even know you exist, because we just learned about you, even Dumbledore! He's always wanted a family. I'm just worried he might be mad at you."

Dick understood where she was coming from, he really did.

"He doesn't like living with his family, and you escaped that fate."

"Only because they left me on a doorstep," he mentioned.

"Well, yeah." Ginny looked at him. "But still, it sounds like your family is pretty amazing, and he might be jealous of that. Harry is amazing, but sometimes he can be a complete arse. He and Ron were horrible to Hermione in their third year, for a completely dumb reason."

"And you're worried he'll be horrible to me for something out of my control." Ginny nodded. "I can deal with that. I'm pretty sure I've faced worse than an angry teenager."

They both sat down on the stairs. Ginny uncrossed her arms. "You know, you talk like you're not."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Not what?"

Ginny looked at him like it was completely obvious what he meant. "Not a teenager. Not a kid. Not even an adult really."

Dick furrowed his brow and stared at the ceiling. "Oh. Sorry."

Ginny laughed. "No, that's not what I meant. It's just sometimes, and it was something I noticed, so I just wanted to ask why."

Dick sucked in a sharp breath, then exhaled slowly. "Just something I do, I guess."

Ginny's face was disbelieving, but she didn't say anything farther. They continued to sit in silence for quite a while, until Mrs. Weasley bustled past them and noticed him, in fact.

"Oh, Richard, you're back," she said. "Ron and Hermione are upstairs, cleaning one of the bedrooms along with the twins, _where you should be, Ginerva_."

Ginny shot up quickly, and grabbed Dick's hand, pulling him up the stairs behind her. "If I have to go clean, you're coming too," she hissed in his ear.

He laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wally and Dick's bromance hasn't been edited very much, nor has Dick's meeting with Zatara and Zatanna. I didn't do much with Dick and Ginny's interaction either, but after editing and rereading this chapter, I think I may throw in some more of Dick and Ginny in chapter eleven, which is nearly done.


	7. A Step Closer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been updated and edited. There weren't too many things I ended up changing other than some basic grammar and spelling mistakes. Hopefully, you guys like it! I know originally I said I didn't like this chapter, but I reread it too and found it was actually a lot better than I thought. As always, hearing what everyone thinks of this better version would be really great!
> 
> 7/20/18

_July 27th_

Sometimes Dick wondered at the sanity of wizards. Because what sane person created a jewellery box that would bite your fingers off if you touched it? Or a bed with sheets that would strangle you in your sleep? That's what he was dealing with, cleaning rooms out. Some things were thrown away, others, like the robe that had attacked Ron a few days ago, were burned, but almost everything had something in common. They had all been important to Sirius' parents, or so he said.

Dick couldn't help but think this implied that maybe, just maybe, Sirius' parents hadn't been entirely… good. Sure their house was evil looking, an assessment he'd made when he first arrived, but he'd just assumed it was a decorating theme. And Sirius was so against all evil wizards that him coming from a family that supported them seemed implausible. However, thanks to all the evidence to the contrary, he was now sure that Sirius had dark wizards for parents.

It was pretty sad, he thought as he watched Sirius tell the twins a joke about his horrible mother. Dick had always cherished his family, and while he understood that some weren't great, the idea that anyone could despise theirs so openly was against everything Dick believed in. Surely Sirius loved his parents, at least a little?

Family was something you usually only got one of, and to spend your life hating them was such a waste. Even if you don't agree on certain things, love should always prevail more than anything else. Dick believed that. He probably even cared for the aunt who'd abandoned him a little. Not because she seemed like a good person (though who knew? Dumbledore could be wrong about the jealousy thing. Maybe she was just trying to protect him), but because she was family. He'd already lost one of those, he wouldn't take another for granted.

His brother, Harry, he cared for too. Not loved, not yet, because he didn't even know him, but maybe it would get there. Sadly, Dick's circle of people he loved, people alive, was small. His Uncle Rick, in a coma at a hospital in Gotham. Bruce and Alfred. Wally. Some of the Leaguers he was closer to. That was it. Everyone else fell under 'care for', 'don't know', or 'evil villain'.

He was so excited to meet Harry. To have a living family. To have an older brother. If only said older brother would hurry up and get to Grimmauld Place. Dick understood why he was staying with their aunt, he really did. Family and all that, but he wanted to meet him. Would it really kill Dumbledore to have Harry arrive? The whole reason Dick was coming here in his free time was because Harry could arrive at any moment.

(Also, because Voldemort was after him in the hopes of turning him to the dark side so he could pull a "Harry, I am your brother" type moment, but who cared about that? Dick was the target of homicidal maniacs, like, every weekend.)

It struck him as a little counter-intuitive that Harry was in what was probably a normal suburb of London, not in the secret resistance base when Voldemort was after him. The literal dark wizard who killed their parents, or bio-parents, in Dick's case. I seemed like for people who wanted to protect Harry, they were doing a lousy job of it.

He looked away from the small knick-knacks he was sorting and up at Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, Hermione, and the Weasley children. They were all laughing or cleaning with a big smile on their faces. He was sitting alone in a corner with a simple job. He was sure they didn't mean to not include him. He was a new addition to the dynamic and wasn't quite in place yet, but still, it was like he wasn't there.

In a strange way, it reminded him of the Gotham upper class. They tried to be nice, get to know him because he was Bruce's ward, but if they passed on the street, they wouldn't look twice. It was… lonely. He was glad he was doing this, learning about his brother's world, but he really wished his brother would just be allowed to come so he could finally meet him.

"-right, Dick?"

His head snapped towards Ginny and his eyes locked on her. "Sorry, what?"

Ginny smiled. "I asked you if you have any cousins other than the one you mentioned to me. We were just talking about ours."

Dick thought back to memories of games with John, tag and flips in the circus tent when it was empty. "No. Only the one cousin."

"Really?" Ron asked. "How come you never mention him?"

He smiled uncomfortably. "He died a few years ago."

There was a beat of silence, where no one seemed quite sure what to say, before Mrs. Weasley said: "Well, I'm so sorry about that, Richard. It's a terrible thing to happen, to lose a young person."

Mrs. Weasley's smile was big, genuine. Not like the people of Gotham who said sorry and went back to reading a newspaper or planning a party. He supposed that Gothamites were a breed unto their own. So much tragedy happened in the city so often that people just didn't even grieve anymore.

The mood in the room seemed to have gone from cheerful to black in a matter of moments. He felt guilty, that it had happened because of him.

"I used to play this one game with him, when I was a kid," he said with a fond smile, his eyes stayed on his hands though. "It was kinda like tag, but we had to avoid everyone else playing. One time there was this big group of us playing, and I was chosen to run, so I got a minute long headstart and was trying to avoid nearly fifteen kids! I was pretty good at it too."

Sirius barked out a laugh. "I've never heard of tag being played like that. It sounds interesting."

"Was it also similar to hide and seek?" Hermione asked. "Were you allowed to hide from people?"

Dick grinned, glad he was able to repair the mood. "Yeah. I once climbed to the top of this huge tree and stayed there for almost an hour. John actually had to climb up and get me 'cause I fell asleep."

"You fell asleep in a tree?" George asked disbelievingly. (George's hair was a little shorter than his brother's hair, which made them easier to tell apart. Finally, he found a way!)

"And didn't fall off!" Fred exclaimed.

"Wicked," they said together, matching grins that seemed to promise mischief.

"I got yelled at for that," Dick said. "Something about endangering myself. I kinda tuned the lecture out after a few minutes. Then did it again later."

Ron looked at him as if assessing something. "Mate," he finally said. "You have a death wish."

Dick grinned. "Happy you think so."

* * *

_July 28th_

"Hey, Mrs. Weasley?" Dick yelled towards the kitchen. Said woman's head popped out.

"Yes, Richard, dear?"

He made a large gesture towards the front door. "Someone's knocking. Do you want me to answer?"

"Oh, yes, please. That would be lovely. I'm a tad busy with lunch," she said.

Dick nodded his head, but she was already gone. He sighed deeply and walked down the hallway, leaving the book he was reading open on the couch. He could get back to it in a bit.

The pounding at the door wasn't hard, but it was insistent. Probably a member of the Order stopping by for one reason or another. And of course, the door was locked. Just like always. It had to be opened from the inside unless you had a key. Unluckily, most members of the Order didn't have a key, which meant that he and the other children tended to open the door a _lot_. Not that he minded much. It made it easy to get to know other members of the Order who hadn't been there when he'd arrived.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered to the door, opening it wide and stepping behind it when it swung open.

A skinny man in shabby clothing strode in, then looked around. Dick closed the door behind him fast and stepped into view. The man's eyes landed on him and widened comically, something he was becoming used to the first time people saw him.

The man's mouth dropped open, then snapped closed. He opened his mouth again, and this time managed a strangled "What?!"

Dick sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Hi, I'm Richard Grayson," he finally said, holding a hand out in greeting.

The man took his hand and shook it in a trance-like state. "Remus Lupin."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin," Dick said, smiling slightly. He recognized the name from a story Sirius had told him about his school years; Remus was one of his friends.

Remus shook his head as if to clear his mind. "Yes, lovely to meet you as well. If I may ask, what are you doing here?"

It was clear that he already had an idea what was going on and who Dick was, but he was seeking out the facts. It was something Dick could respect. Plus it nice to know that not _all_ wizards jumped to conclusions as easily as others did.

Dick shrugged. "It's a long story. I'm sure you'll hear about it when the meeting starts after dinner."

Remus nodded, a strange gleam in his eyes. "I'm sure I will. Still, it would be interesting to hear about it from you. Are your parents' members?"

And there the question was. Dick had no doubts that Remus knew who his parents were. As he'd been told many, _many_ times over the course of his stay, he looked remarkably like Lily and James. The skin tone and freckles were from Lily, and the hair and eyes were from James. Unmistakable as their child to anyone who'd known them.

"No," he said nonchalantly. "They used to be, around the time of the first war though."

Remus nodded. "I believe I met them once." He was testing him, seeing how much he knew about them, but also not wanting to give away anything that hadn't been told to him.

"They went to school with you," Dick agreed. "Same year."

"And how old are you? Around fourteen?" he asked. Now the man was trying to assess when he'd been born. How old he was when Lily and James died.

"Close," he admitted. "Thirteen. I'll be fourteen in October."

Remus looked solemn, then seemed to drop all pretences. "I didn't know they had another son," he whispered, sounding heartbroken.

Dick made a motion with his hands as if to say: 'What can you do?' "No one did. It was a surprise to me too."

"How did they hide you?" Remus asked. "Not with Petunia."

Dick shook his head, although that last statement obviously hadn't been a question. "Apparently Lily gave me to her sister to watch after for a few days the day before they died. Petunia dropped me on the steps of an orphanage. I was adopted."

Remus' face turned a startling white, and he looked somewhat ill. "Petunia… I never thought she would, but I should have known." He laughed bitterly. "She always was a stuck up brat. So, you were raised in the States?"

Dick shook his head. "Not exactly. My parents and I lived all over. I do live in the U.S. now though."

Remus nodded his head. An awkward silence fell over them. Dick shifted from one foot to the other.

"I've got some reading to do," he announced abruptly and spun around on his heel to head back to the sitting room. He wanted some time to process his interaction with Remus. The man seemed nice enough, and Dick was sure he was, but still. Even after the time he'd had, it was hard to adjust to the fact that he had a whole world he should have belonged to.

* * *

_July 28th_

"Oi, Dick, Ron," Fred whisper-yelled from the doorway. "The meeting just started."

Dick dropped his book and hopped to his feet lightly, leaping over Ron, who was sprawled out on the floor with his own book about brooms. He heard Ron clamber to his feet behind him. Once he reached Fred, the elder teenager held out the waxy string thingy (they were apparently called extendable ears. The wizarding worlds equivalent to bugs).

Dick took his ear and joined George, Hermione, and Ginny at the railing. A moment later Ron and Fred joined them as well.

"You all know the drill," George said. Everyone nodded, though it was obvious they all knew it wasn't a question. Dick had to applaud them. They really weren't just standing back, they were taking the initiative to learn what was going on. Speaking from experience, Dick knew how frustrating it was when an adult didn't tell you things because they thought you were too 'young'. It wasn't fun. And that meant he wouldn't discourage them. Plus he wanted to know what went on in the meetings too.

He copied the others and put one end of the string in his ear, then dropped the other end of the string down to the ground floor. A few moments later he could hear what was clearly the meeting.

"-hard to keep from becoming suspicious," a voice concluded. Remus. Dick should know; he'd just met the man earlier and had dinner with him as well

"Then Fenrir is recruiting? Or is it simply the common suspicion of a new pack member, and you are unable to discern the difference?" a voice drawled. Snape. The man who acted like the worst of Gotham's upper class.

"I am able to tell the difference, Severus," Remus replied coldly.

"And what a miracle that is."

"Why you little-" that was Sirius. The noises of a scuffle, then silence followed his angry exclamation.

"We mustn't let ourselves fall prey to the exact thing the Dark Lord wishes us to fall prey to," the calm voice of Kingsley said.

"I quite agree," Dumbledore said. "Now onto other matters. We must decide when to bring Harry here to meet his brother."

Dick started, and shared a wide-eyed glance at the others, then looked back down and focused on the conversation. This was what he'd been waiting for. He would finally find out when Harry was coming.

"Sooner rather than later, right?" Sirius said, sounding disgruntled, probably from whatever fight he'd had with Snape. "It seems cruel to make Dick wait any longer."

"I agree," Professor McGonagall said in her severe voice. "Potter will be unhappy at being kept in the dark, even for the short amount of time he has been. Mr. Grayson may still wish to be called Grayson, but he's a Potter boy. He won't be happy waiting much longer either."

Dick really wasn't sure whether to be offended or pleased that she'd just implied he was a troublemaker. He was leaning towards offended at the moment though.

"I agree. Harry should come soon. I'd like to meet him myself." And that bubbly tone was Tonks, the woman who'd called him 'Sirius' when they first met.

"It is quite true, Harry should come, but we all know the longer he stays with his relatives the safer he is," Dumbledore said. Huh. Dick would have to remember that information.

"So…"

"Harry will stay with his aunt and uncle for now. If nothing happens to change that, then we'll collect him on the 10th of August," Dumbledore said.

Dick felt his heart sink. It wasn't that long to wait, and he _could_ be patient, but he didn't want to be. He wanted to meet Harry now. He wanted to meet his brother. It wasn't fair that he had to wait. He just, he didn't know.

He pulled the extendable ear out of his ear and threw it at the wall before stalking back to his room. He ignored the shocked looks everyone was giving him. He didn't care. They didn't understand. They _couldn't_ understand.

He slammed the door. They would be worried, but they wouldn't come and check on him. They were approaching the area closer to friends than acquaintances, but they didn't know him well enough to comfort him. And he wouldn't want them to try.

Plus there was no way they would give up a chance to spy on the Order just to make sure he was okay.

Ron shot Dick a worried look when he entered the room thirty minutes later, but Dick simply huffed and turned towards the window. He was holding his phone, as he had been since he entered the room, debating about texting Wally. Finally, he steeled himself.

_Hey, dude. What are you doing?_

A response came back a second later.

_Just about to leave for patrol with Uncle Barry._

_Why?_

_Is anything wrong?_

Dick nearly laughed. Wally always seemed to think something was wrong if he asked what the other teen was doing.

_No. Just wondering._

_Okay, but seriously, what's wrong?_

The disadvantages of having such a good friend. Even with texting, Wally could always tell when something was bothering him.

_You know how I told you there was something going on? A long story? Well, turns out my parents adopted me._

A reply came back immediately.

_What?! Are you okay?! When did you find out?! How?!_

_Kinda. A week ago. Long story._

_So tell me!_

_I'll tell you more when I see you next. Just wanted to tell you._

_Okay… why now though?_

_I have an older brother._

Now the response took a long time. The little bar that showed someone was typing was there. It took probably three minutes for a response to be sent. A truly impressive time, considering Wally was a speedster.

_I'm not sure what to say. Have you met him? How much older? Was he raised by your bio-parents? Were you both put up for adoption?_

Dick pondered what he should say. He wanted to tell Wally everything, but something told him the rest needed to be said in person. Explained in person. And he was already feeling calmer. Still angry at Dumbledore and all the adults, but calmer.

_That's fine, dude. I'll tell you everything the next time I see you. Promise._

_Good. Just remember, I'm here for you, Dick._

This time Dick did laugh, although it was a little bitter.

_I know. I'll remember. Gotta go. See ya later, Walls._

_Bye._

Ron was staring at him from his bottom bunk. He looked worried. Dick didn't fault him for it. Dick was mad. He was frustrated. He was pretty much all the synonyms he could think of. He definitely wasn't feeling the aster. But he could deal with it. He could separate his emotions and ignore the betrayal of knowing that Harry was being kept away even longer.

He stared Ron in the eyes, waiting. Ron looked away and muttered 'Night'.

"G'night," Dick returned. He laid down and pulled his sheets over his body. He wasn't tired, but he would try to sleep.

* * *

_July 31st_

Since the meeting he'd listened in on, he had done an amazing job of avoiding exchanging words with the adults. It was easy to be reading a book, texting Bruce, Wally, or Barbara whenever one was in the same room as him. Probably not the best way to react, but they knew he was here, and they were going to wait even longer.

Honestly, he couldn't wait to head back home. Seeing Bruce and having someone that knew him, someone he didn't need to hide around, that would be nice. Relaxing.

"Mr. Grayson, pay attention please," Professor McGonagall said sharply.

His eyes snapped up from the floor, and he gave the professor a _look_. "I already have a tutor in America," he said. "I'd rather not spend my time here learning magic. It is summer."

Professor McGonagall sighed deeply and brought her hand up to rub her forehead. She was completely frustrated. Dick didn't enjoy doing that, making her annoyed, but he did have plans to be taught back home. It would be a waste to learn more here.

"I understand, Mr. Grayson, but even if you are going to be learning on your own time, you should know at least a little while you are here, to protect yourself in case of an emergency," she explained. "We do have enemies. If they managed to infiltrate our headquarters and you didn't know how to defend yourself, it would disastrous."

Dick sighed. She had a point. And as much as he didn't want to, his Bat-training was kicking in, telling him he should learn a little. Anything was possible, and he should be prepared for everything he could be.

"Okay. What do you want me to learn?"

Professor McGonagall gave him a look that _might_ have been smug if the idea of her being smug wasn't so ridiculous. She didn't seem like the type of person who could be smug.

"A few simple spells. First year ones. They are simple to learn, and can prove helpful in a situation where you are being attacked."

"Okay. How do I do them? What do I say?" He held out his wand loosely.

Professor McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "You can start off by not holding the wand like that. You're more likely to turn someone into a slug than perform a spell properly."

Dick shrugged sheepishly and corrected his hold, copying how she was holding hers. "Sorry."

"It is quite alright, Mr. Grayson. Pay attention, and it shouldn't happen again."

"Yes, ma'am."

He could already tell he'd be here a while, and he was right. By the time she was finished teaching him a shield spell, two hours had passed. He went upstairs to find his phone and text Wally. He wasn't telling his friend what was going on yet, he would do that in person, but he did talk to him a bit.

When he arrived in his room, Hermione and Ron were spread out on the floor and the bottom bunk respectively, writing furiously. He looked at them curiously. While it wasn't strange to see Hermione writing letters, Ron usually didn't that often. Unlike Hermione, his family was with him, so he didn't need to write them.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Hermione didn't look up to reply. "Writing Harry. It's his birthday today."

Suddenly Dick felt a surge of… something. Irritation. If Dumbledore and the others would just bring Harry already, he'd be able to celebrate a birthday with his new brother. Sure, he was with their aunt and uncle, but if everything he'd heard was true, they weren't exactly the best people.

"Oh. I would say tell him 'Hi' from me, but he doesn't exactly know I exist, does he?" he joked, hoping that the bitterness in his tone wasn't obvious.

Hermione looked up and gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Dick."

Ron mumbled an apology as well, but he continued writing.

Dick waved it off. "It's fine. It's not under your control anyway."

"Still, sorry."

"Yeah, mate. We get it. It's hard keeping everything from Harry in our letters," Ron said.

Dick nearly laughed, but he didn't. Ron wasn't trying to be rude. He just didn't think before talking. It kinda reminded him of Wally, actually. Besides, Ron was trying to be comforting. He would just take that.

"Yeah. Thanks," Dick said. "I'm going to read. Call me when dinners ready." And with that, he grabbed his book and took off for the sitting room.


	8. The First Impression

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited this chapter too! Man, am I on a roll. As with the last few chapters, there weren't many changes to make to this one. Just a few grammar and spelling mistakes. Hopefully, you guys like it.
> 
> Quick Note: I am not Romani, and talk about the culture is not from an especially informed point of view. I respect the culture but don't know a lot about it personally. If anyone has anything they think I should change, feel free to point it out in a comment. And as Romani is not a written language, I have the small section where it is spoken in italics.
> 
> 7/20/18

_August 2nd_

Dick stood in front of the house, waiting. Today was his first official day being taught magic by Zatara, with Zatanna's help, and he couldn't wait. Well, he could. That was why he was standing on the sidewalk instead of going and ringing the doorbell. He wanted to learn, but something was stopping him from moving.

Maybe it was apprehension. Maybe it was fear. Maybe he was worried he'd make a fool of himself. Those were all things it might have been, but Dick knew the real reason. It wasn't any of those. He was scared.

It almost made him laugh. Him, Robin, Boy Wonder, scared. But he was. He was scared that magic would take him away from Bruce, from his life. That he might become so invested in that life that he'd leave his friends and family behind.

He steeled himself. Set his shoulders. Took one step forward. Then another. One step after another until he was right in front of the door.

He wouldn't let that happen. He would learn magic, but only because it wasn't safe otherwise. After he learned the bare minimum he needed, he'd stop and live his life the way _he_ wanted, not the way Dumbledore and everyone else wanted.

He raised his hand and pressed the doorbell. A huge gonging noise came out of it, loud enough that his hands flew to his ears and his eyes scrunched up. That was painful and irritating. How could they live with such a horribly noisy doorbell?

The door flew open, and the ringing noise ceased. Zatanna stood there in jeans and a t-shirt, eyes bright and excited.

"Rob! You're here!"

He smirked. "Still don't know my identity?"

She smiled brightly, eyes dancing with a special light. "Nope. Not until you tell me. That's how the game goes."

She was _so_ cool.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" he asked. "Magic, right? Well, I mean duh, that's what I'm here to learn."

Zatanna threw her head back and laughed. "Yeah, magic. Dad is gonna show you a few different styles and see what you wanna try today."

"Cool." Zatanna moved aside and gestured for him to come in. Once he stepped foot inside, the door closed on its own. "That feels like a classic movie thing."

Zatanna smiled. "Yeah. Dad does have a flair for the dramatic. I think he's testing you. Seeing how freaked out you'll get at little things."

Dick laughed dryly. "As the apprentice to Batman, I have to say that I don't get 'freaked out'."

"We'll see about that, Boy Wonder." Zatanna smirked and gestured for him to follow her.

He followed Zatanna as she led him through the house. Overall, it looked like a normal, if slightly larger than normal, house. The walls were a dark wood panel. The floor was a rich carpet. There were a few side tables with flower-filled vases decorating rooms they passed.

"Is this house 'bigger on the inside'?" Dick asked. "To quote the Doctor."

"Yeah," Zatanna confirmed. "Magic can go a long way in making a house nicer than you'd think it would be. Especially comes in handy in New York I've been told."

"Huh. That's pretty cool."

"It is. Though with how big your house is, I doubt you'd ever need it," Zatanna joked.

"You got that right. I think Alfie would have an aneurysm if it was bigger," he said absently.

Zatanna looked at him curiously. "Who's Alfred?"

"Oh, I guess we didn't introduce you to him, did we? Alfred is our butler." Zatanna put a hand up to her mouth and giggled, then turned left down a hallway. Dick followed her. "Well, less like a butler and more like my grandfather."

"Sorry," she giggled. "It's just, I couldn't help but imagine him telling Batman to eat his dinner with a fancy British accent."

Dick raised an eyebrow. She hadn't actually heard Alfred speak while there, and definitely hadn't been around them enough to pick up on little things, but she was pretty close to how it actually was most of the time. Not that he'd be sharing that. He could only imagine what would happen if it got out that Batman was controlled by his butler.

Zatanna calmed herself down. "Right in there," she said, gesturing towards an ornate door at the end of the hallway.

He paused right outside it. It was a beautiful door, with carvings of fairies, unicorns, and ancient castles done in incredible detail. And if he looked close enough, the wood seemed to move.

Zatanna tapped her foot from behind him. He turned back towards her. She looked impatient and excited.

He looked back at the carved door, then raised his hands slowly and pushed it open. The massive doors _didn't_ creak, which surprised him. For some reason, he'd had it in his head that they would. Probably the influence of too many movies and Wally.

The inside of the room was huge, further cementing the fact that this house was definitely bigger on the inside. It was a huge circular room covered in bookshelves. A library made for kings. Dick wasn't a huge nerd or bookworm, but he appreciated knowledge, and this room was filled with it.

"Wow," he breathed.

Zatanna marched past him. "Pretty cool, isn't it. Dad and I do our best to keep a good collection of books about all forms of magic. And modern read of course." She held up a Percy Jackson book.

Dick laughed. "This is amazing."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it? Dad should be here soon. He had to head out for an errand right before you got here, so I've been commanded to," here she dropped into an Italian accent, "'Help him search through our collection and decide what style of magic he would like to study today'." She shrugged. "He also told me 'no funny business', but you seem like a gentleman."

Dick found himself blushing. Zatanna noticed, and he couldn't help but wonder if the universe was determined to embarrass him. Probably. But at this point, he felt like he was used to it.

"So…" He cleared his throat. "Where are the books I need to look through?"

"This way." She waved her hand to the right. "Follow me. I'll show you."

"Asterous."

They walked for longer than he would have thought possible, but then again this was a magical house; who knew how it worked. Finally, they came to a stop in front of an especially tall bookshelf.

"So, as you can see, we have books from all over the world on all sorts of magic," Zatanna told him, gesturing towards the shelf.

Dick stepped forward and ran his hand along the bright book spines. They were in English, as well as a few languages he knew; German, French, and Arabic. Others he could only guess. It was amazing.

"So, what style of magic do your dad and you study? Not British, obviously."

"Yeah, no. British is the most common practice though. But my dad and I study traditionalist magic. It's not _really_ traditional, but that's what it's called." Zatanna shrugged. "I could have studied a different one, but I thought it would be nice to follow in my dad's footsteps."

"That's pretty cool." He looked closer at a book spine that had something resembling Japanese. "Hey, what other styles of magic are there?"

"Oh, that's a good question." Zatanna clapped her hands together in glee. "So, there's Japanese. Not that different in most practical terms, but traditions are. They wear different coloured robes that change on their own to reflect skill level. And African. Theirs are really fascinating. They don't use a focus. You know, wands or staffs. They use their fingers. It's supposed to be a lot harder to learn, but help to connect you to your magic."

"Wow. That is _super_ cool. How many are there?" Dick asked. That was only two! And he was only getting a brief view.

Zatanna smirked. "One for pretty much every culture."

"So are there any works about traditional Roma magic?" he asked.

Zatanna looked at him curiously. "I think we have a few books. They're written in English though. Romani isn't exactly a spoken language."

"That's fine," Dick said. "Where are they?"

Zatanna grabbed a brown tome and held it out to him. "Here's a beginner one. Most Roma magical practices were used in practical ways, so practitioners of it will usually study one or two more styles of magic to compensate for the small amount you can do with it. They also used lots of magical talismans.."

"Then I can just study the British style then. I'm already being forced to learn some of it this summer," Dick said. He grabbed to book and tucked it under his arm. "And I have a talisman or two at home."

Zatanna nodded. "Sounds good. Any reason you're choosing Roma magic?"

Dick shrugged. "My family was Roma. I figure it's fitting."

"They were? Does that mean you speak Romani?" Zatanna asked eagerly.

Dick grinned. " _Of course_."

"That is so cool!" Zatanna gushed. "I've been looking for somebody to help me with my accent."

Now it was Dick's turn to be surprised. "You speak Romani?"

Zatanna nodded. " _Yes, Bird Boy. It's an amazing language_."

" _This is so cool! I haven't had anyone to talk to in Romani in forever,_ " Dick told her.

" _How about we make a deal; I speak Romani with you when you're here and you help me with my accent?_ " She held her hand out. He took it.

" _It's a deal, Zatanna._ "

"Zatanna! Richard!"

" _My dad! He's finally here!_ " Zatanna exclaimed. " _And you've got your branch of magic picked out already. This is perfect._ " Then she yelled in English: "Coming, dad!"

Dick took off after her when she started running. "Wait up! I don't wanna get lost!"

* * *

_August 5th_

"So, how did it go telling Wally?" Bruce asked. Dick didn't jump, because he was a professional, but he would admit he may have squeaked.

"I haven't yet," Dick admitted. "I know I said I would, but I just couldn't find the time, and I wanted to spend today with you and Alfred, you know?"

Bruce chuckled. "I understand, Dick. It's fine. You know you don't have to tell him if you don't want to."

"But I do, Bruce." Dick groaned and spread himself out on the couch. "I really do, but there was that mission that happened after training and then it went horribly wrong. By the time I even remembered I was planning to tell him, I was already in bed. And I would have told him the 2nd, but I was busy then too. I didn't know that it would take _so_ much reading to learn magic."

"You can stop if you want, Dick. No one's forcing you to learn magic," Bruce said, in what Dick supposed he thought was a comforting voice.

"Well, I kinda have to, Bruce. They told me there are super strict laws against not learning in America because of an incident with an obscurus in New York. If I was ever caught not knowing, they're legally required to send me off to a boarding school, be it here in America or one in Scotland."

"I'm not going to pretend to understand all that," Bruce began. Ha, Bruce not knowing something. "But it sounds to me like maybe you need a break."

"Ya think?" he asked, in that tone of voice Bruce loved oh so much. The embodiment of the word 'duh'.

"Haha, Dick," Bruce said dryly. "I was thinking maybe we should take a break. How does a camping trip sound? You don't have to head back to London until tonight, but with how it's looking, your brother won't arrive before the 10th; why don't you wait to head back for the 9th."

Dick shifted himself so that he was hanging off the couch upside down and considered. Bruce was offering to take a break from everything. Work. Batman. Justice League. And it wasn't like he was going to be missing anything at Grimmauld Place.

"Yeah, let's do that. When Dumbledore comes to get me tonight, I'll just ask him if he can come back on the 9th," Dick decided. "So, where are we camping? Backyard? Or are we zeta-ing to China?"

Bruce tapped his chin with his finger. "Which do you think we should do? Backyard has the advantage of being near Alfred so we can still eat his cooking. Then again, the zeta-beam in China has all the mountains we can climb nearby."

Dick tapped his chin as well. "Hard decision. Backyard it is."

Bruce ruffled his hair. He didn't manage to dodge it, but he did flip off the couch when Bruce made a move to do it again.

"Good choice, chum."

"Obviously. Alfred is way better than China. He cooks for us. Plus he keeps you alive," Dick teased.

"And what about you?" Bruce asked. "After all, out of the two of us, you're more likely to leap into danger."

"And yet I escape without injury more often than you."

"Okay, that's it. No camping for you," Bruce said with a _completely_ fake frown.

"I'll believe it when it happens. Anyways, you don't wanna go camping without me. Who's going to entertain you?"

"I believe I'll manage," Bruce deadpanned. "Afterall, I survived without you for over twenty years."

"Ah, but they were a deprived twenty years," Dick said sagely, then burst out laughing.

"Okay, that's it." Bruce stood up and started to reach for Dick, then the doorbell rang.

Dick tilted his head. "Are we expecting anyone?"

Bruce's eyebrows were furrowed. "No. And 7 am is a bit early for anyone to be coming over unannounced."

Dick felt his heart sink. He was losing precious time to spend with Bruce because of some uninvited guest who didn't seem to have a normal sense of time. Thought to be fair, neither did they. In fact, this was the first time Dick could remember him and Bruce being alive before 8 am excepting school days for him.

Dick ambled after Bruce. If their relaxing morning was going to be interrupted, he wanted to see who was doing the interrupting at least.

As he approached the front door, he heard loud voices. Bruce and someone else's arguing. Dick turned the corner and saw Sirius standing there looking exhausted. Sirius caught sight of Dick and his eyes lit up. Bruce followed Sirius' gaze.

"What happened?" Dick asked. There was no reason for someone other than Dumbledore to come get him, especially this much earlier than planned.

Sirius looked like he was debating between telling the truth or lying, so Dick made the choice for him. "Really happened." Sirius sighed deeply and slumped, before casting a sidelong glance at Bruce. "You can talk in front of him. It's not like I don't tell him everything anyway."

"Harry was attacked by dementors," Sirius said. He seemed deeply disturbed, heavy on the turbed.

"What are dementors?" he asked. "They sound bad. And why did they attack him."

"I forget how much you don't know about the world," Sirius said and ran a hand through his hair. Dick tried not to be offended. "Dementors guard the wizarding prisoner of Azkaban."

"Where they stuck you," Dick said.

"Exactly. Dementors are horrible creatures. They suck the happiness out of you until you only have the horror and tragedy of your life left. They make people go mad, and if they get close enough they use their greatest weapon on you; the Dementor's Kiss." Dick almost smiled, but he didn't. Sirius wasn't kidding around. "They suck your soul out."

Now Dick gasped. He was sure he was a few shades paler. Bruce certainly was.

"Is-is Harry alright?" he asked. "Why would they attack Harry if they guard the prison for your government?"

"You-Know-Who must've turned some of them. Harry's alright. He got his wand out and saved him and his cousin. There's one spell that can drive them away. He learned it third year when they were guarding Hogwarts," Sirius said, sounding very clipped. "But the Ministry expelled him for underage magic."

"What?!" Dick exclaimed. He would have said more, but Bruce put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a pointed look.

"They've been after him since he said You-Know-Who was back," Sirus spat. "There's a trial, thank heavens. He shouldn't be in trouble though. Being attacked by dementors is a viable reason to use magic in front of a muggle and before school is finished."

"Will he be cleared do you think?" Dick asked.

"Yes. Dumbledore's on his side."

"Why did you come here then?" Bruce cut in.

Sirius looked surprised to be asked that. "To tell Dick what happened. And that Harry's being brought tomorrow. It happened on the 2nd after he left. We waited to tell him until we knew when Harry'd be arriving."

"So Harry's heading to Grimmauld Place tomorrow?" Dick asked eagerly.

"Yes. Dumbledore sent me to bring you today. He won't arrive until tomorrow, but we thought you might want some time to get settled."

Dick looked back and forth between Sirius and Dick. He wanted to be there, but he also really wanted to go camping with Bruce. Bruce looked down at him.

"It's fine, Dick. It's your brother. I understand," he said. And he really did seem to understand.

"Thanks, Bruce. I'll be back by the 13th. I know we have something that day." A lecture on espionage with the Team, but Sirius wasn't supposed to know that.

"If you need to, you can take a few days longer," Bruce told him.

"Thanks, Bruce," Dick whispered. If Sirius hadn't been there, he would have hugged Bruce. "Let me just grab my bag, Sirius."

* * *

_August 6th_

The advanced guard left early in the morning. Earlier that Dick woke up, which was pretty early; he woke up at 6 am. Maybe it was nerves, or maybe it was the time difference, but he hadn't been able to fall asleep until nearly 3 am, and then he'd woken up three hours later. He was definitely tired, but that didn't matter. Harry would be there sometime before dinner. Probably during the Order's meeting. And the meeting had started a while ago.

He was sure he'd heard the front door open, and it turned out he was right. He could hear Mrs. Weasley talking to someone and walking up the stairs. It was probably Harry. The Order meeting was only for adults, and it was a sure thing that she was telling him to wait with Hermione and Ron.

Dick ducked into an unused room and waited until he heard the single set of footsteps pass him. He wanted to listen to Harry talk to his friends before he introduced himself. Get an idea of what to expect.

Once he heard the creak of his and Ron's door and Hermione's shriek of 'HARRY', he eased the door for the room he was in open and peeked out. The room Harry had just entered still had the door open a crack. Dick snuck out, careful to avoid making creaks, and peered in.

"-didn't hear you arrive! Oh, how _are_ you?" Hermione was asking. "Are you all right? Have you been furious with us?" Dick had the answer to that. He'd seen Hermione and Ron's hands when he arrived back, courtesy of Harry's owl. Hedwig, he'd been told her name was. "I bet you have, I know our letters were useless - but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got to tell us - the dementors! When we heard - and that Ministry hearing - it's just outrageous, I've looked it all up, they can't expel you, they just can't, there's provision in the decree for the Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of life-threatening situations-"

"Let him breathe, Hermione," Said Ron. He walked to close the door, but then caught sight of Dick looking in and simply leaned against the wall, not before he'd shot Dick a questioning look though.

"Hedwig!" Harry exclaimed. So that was what his brother's voice sounded like. It reminded him of his own, except more mature and definitely more British.

"She's been in a right state," Ron said. "Pecked us half to death when she brought your last letters, look at this-"

"Oh yeah." Harry sounded apologetic, if still slightly frustrated. "Sorry about that, but I wanted answers, you know…"

"We wanted to give them to you, mate. Hermione was going spare, she kept saying you'd do something stupid if you were stuck on your own without news, but Dumbledore made us-"

"-swear not to tell. Yeah, Hermione's already said that." Now Harry sounded much colder. He was going to yell. Dick wanted to walk in. Introduce himself. Calm Harry down. But he was scared. He stayed put.

"He seemed to think it was best." Hermione sounded breathless. "Dumbledore, I mean."

"Right," said Harry.

"I think he thought you were safest with the Muggles-"

"Yeah?" Harry interrupted Ron. "Have either of you been attacked by dementors this summer?"

"Well, no - but that's why he had people from the Order of the Phoenix tailing you all the time-"

"Didn't work that well, though, did it?" Harry sounded on the verge of a meltdown. But he also sounded like he was trying to keep calm. Dick was too transfixed to do anything. "Had to look after myself after all, didn't I?"

"He was so angry," said Hermione, voice small. "Dumbledore. We saw him. When he found out Mundungus had left before his shift ended. He was scary."

"Well, I'm glad he left," Harry said coldly. "If he hadn't, I wouldn't have done magic and Dumbledore would have probably left me at Private Drive all summer." That wasn't true, but Dick didn't say that out loud

"Aren't you… aren't you worried about the hearing?" Hermione asked quietly.

"No." Dick watched through the crack as Harry plodded around the room. He was obviously trying to keep his temper at bay. It was also obviously not working. "So why's Dumbledore been so keen to keep me in the dark? Did you - er - bother to ask him at all."

Dick recognized that type of voice. The type of question. No matter what Ron and Hermione told him, he'd be mad.

"We told Dumbledore we wanted to tell you what was going on," Ron began. "We did, mate. But he's really busy now, we've only seen him twice since we came here and he didn't have much time, he just made us swear not to tell you the important stuff when we wrote, he said the owls might be intercepted-"

"He could still've kept me informed if he'd wanted to," Harry said shortly. Dick was still watching everything. It felt like watching a car crash; a disaster you couldn't look away from. "You're not telling me he doesn't know ways to send messages without owls.

"I thought that too," Hermione said desperately. "But he didn't want you to know _anything_."

"Maybe he thinks I can't be trusted," Harry said darkly.

"Don't be thick." Dick could almost hear Ron roll his eyes.

"Or that I can't take care of myself-"

"Of course he doesn't think that!" Hermione exclaimed.

"So how come I have to stay at the Dursleys' while you two get to join in everything that's going on here?" Harry asked dangerously. "How come you two are allowed to know everything that's going on-"

"We're not!" Ron interrupted. "Mum won't let us near meetings, she says we're too young-"

This time it was Harry who interrupted.

"SO YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS, BIG DEAL! YOU'VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN'T YOU? YOU'VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I'VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS' FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU TWO'VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT - WHO SAVED THE SORCERER'S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM DEMENTORS?"

Dick felt a lump of resentment grow. Harry may be his brother, but they don't know each other. Anyone who can treat their friend like this, no matter how angry, wasn't a good person in Dick's book.

"WHO HAD TO GET PAST DRAGONS AND SPHINXES AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR? WHO SAW HIM COME BACK? WHO HAD TO ESCAPE FROM HIM? ME!"

And now Dick was steeling himself to go in.

"BUT WHY SHOULD I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL ME WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?"

"Harry, we wanted to tell you, we really did-" Hermione sounded on the verge of tears.

"CATN'T'VE WANTED TO THAT MUCH, CAN YOU, OR YOU'D HAVE SENT ME AN OWL, BUT _DUMBLEDORE MADE YOU SWEAR_ -"

"Well he did-" Ron tried.

"FOUR WEEKS I'VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVATE DRIVE, NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON-"

"We wanted to tell you-" Hermione cried, wringing her hands together.

"I SUPPOSE YOU'VE BEEN HAVING A REAL NICE LAUGH, HAVEN'T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER-"

Dick walked in swiftly and stepped between Hermione, Ron, and Harry.

" _Stop it_ ," he commanded, glaring fiercely at his older brother's green eyes.


	9. The Brother He Never Knew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As with the last chapters, nothing much has been changed other than grammar and spelling mistakes. Hopefully, you guys still like it!
> 
> 7/20/18
> 
> Fixed a grammatical error in the small bit of French.
> 
> 10/8/18

_August 6th_

Dick glared at Harry defiantly for a moment longer before looking back at Hermione and Ron. Both of them were frozen. Probably from shock. Then Hermione shook her head quite quickly. Ron also seemed to come out of a trance. His eyes darted between Harry and Dick at an amazing rate.

"Who're you?" Harry asked, irritated tone giving away all the annoyance he was trying to keep contained.

Dick turned back towards Harry. This time he didn't glare. He had the feeling it wouldn't help anything anyway. Not with how close Harry's temper was to boiling past the surface again.

"Richard." He stuck a hand out to Harry and waited. Harry made no move to accept the friendly gesture, but Dick kept his hand stretched out. Harry may be stubborn, but so was Dick. He wasn't putting his hand down until Harry shook it.

"So another person Dumbledore let inside the secret base?" Harry asked Hermione and Ron scathingly, looking over Dick's head and avoiding his eyes. "Wonderful."

Dick withdrew his hand. He didn't let the words hurt him. Harry didn't know who he was. And he was better than getting all upset over being refused a simple handshake. A small, traitorous voice in the back of his head whispered: _You have a good reason to be upset, though. This is your brother that refused to shake your hand._

"It's not like this is where I was planning on spending my summer," he muttered, then said louder: "There is a reason I'm here, believe it or not."

Harry finally looked at him, and Dick was suddenly very aware of how much they did look alike. Harry shared the same small frame as Dick, though Dick had more muscle. That was easily attributed to his nights running around as Robin and acrobatic training though. They had the same messy jet black hair that Dick usually used copious amounts of hair gel to disguise. Their skin was different shades, with Dick's being slightly tanner. Harry had a few freckles scattered across his face in a way the starkly reminded Dick of his cousin, John. The biggest difference was their eyes though; while Dick's were a baby blue, Harry's were an emerald green.

"Let's hear it then." Harry threw his arms up in the air out of frustration. "What reason did Dumbledore have to bring you here?"

"It's kinda a long story." Dick hesitated. He wasn't quite sure how to tell Harry who he was. Batman wasn't exactly known for his 'people skills', and as a result, Dick wasn't the best either. Growing up with a great family could only do so much when you ended up spending most of your recent years with someone who was commonly described as 'emotionally constipated'.

"A long story? So he's been here a while, has he?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione sourly. "Did Dumbledore bring him just to rub in my face that I was stuck with the Dursleys'?"

Huh, the Dursleys'. Their aunt, uncle, and cousin. What was so bad about them, Dick couldn't help but wonder.

Hermione gasped and brought a hand up to her mouth. "That-that's not fair, Harry!" she exclaimed. "He wasn't even supposed to be here at first, we swear! It was a last minute thing!"

"Oh yeah? Then why couldn't I just come? You're letting random strangers into the _secret base_ after all!" shouted Harry.

"Harry, mate, he's not some random stranger," said Ron. Dick turned back to him and made an 'abort' motion with his hand. He didn't want his brother to find out who he was during a fight. Even Bruce would've known that was a bad idea. "He's your brother."

Harry froze in his angry pacing, back facing them. Both his hands were shaking slightly. Hedwig, Harry's owl, hooted from her spot on top of the wardrobe. Even Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl, seemed to sense that this was a moment he couldn't interrupt, and settled down next to Hedwig with a few high squeaks.

Dick brought a hand up to his face and ran it through his hair. This wasn't something he was trained to deal with or felt prepared to deal with. This wasn't just another mission he could get through with a strict set of rules. This was real life. And real life was unpredictable at _best_.

Slowly, Harry turned around. His face was pale, yet surprisingly blank. His eyes scanned Dick with a new light. It wasn't anger or frustration, like before, it was curiosity, and maybe, just maybe a little bit of hope.

"W-what?" Harry choked out.

Harry looked at Hermione like he was searching for confirmation. Dick turned to look at her too. Hermione started a bit at the sudden attention on her, though she managed a small nod of her head.

"It's true," she whispered.

Harry turned his attention back to Dick. He looked stuck somewhere between disbelief and happiness, with a dashing of hope. He opened his mouth. Dick wasn't sure what he was expecting Harry to say; 'This is amazing', or maybe 'Why didn't I know I have a brother?', even 'Dumbledore hid you'. Harry didn't say any of those things.

"I don't understand," he said lamely.

Hermione and Ron shared a look. Dick stared. Harry stared back.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

Harry waved his arms around a bit as if that would convey his feelings. "I don't understand. How do I have a brother? Why didn't I know about him? I just-I don't understand."

Despite the huge arm waving, Harry's voice was surprisingly dull. Dick didn't let it hurt him though. He certainly acted something like that when he found out he was adopted. He couldn't blame Harry for being a little detached.

"I told you, it's a long story." He brought a hand up to his head a massaged his forehead.

Harry shook his head. "Let's hear it, then."

Dick nodded his head and began to pace. Where to begin? How much did he want to tell Harry? How much did he want to tell Ron and Hermione?

"Um, let's see… I guess it starts on the 17th of October, 1996." He continued pacing and avoided looking at Harry. "I was born then. Lily and James didn't tell anyone they were expecting another kid, I guess to protect me in case Voldemort found them. On the 30th of October, Lily brought me to her sister's and asked her to watch me for two or three days while she and James were busy." Here he paused. He wasn't quite sure how to word this. After all, Petunia was one of the people Harry lived with. Even if he was upset about being left there earlier, surely it was only because he'd been left out of the loop. She was family. He didn't want to ruin whatever bond Harry and her shared.

"And?" Harry prompted.

"She… uh… left me on the steps of an orphanage," he said quickly, like that would make it less deplorable. "Dumbledore found out about me through her. She told him it was to 'Save me from her sister's freakishness'."

Dick still didn't look at Harry and continued his pacing, but he heard Ron and Hermione gasp. They hadn't heard that part, he realized.

"So… yeah. Dumbledore heard Voldemort was looking for a weapon, and somehow that led him to ask Petunia some questions and finding out about me. He came looking for me and now here I am." Dick held his arms out in a 'tada' gesture, but he kept his eyes on the floor. "Because, only Petunia and your… our parents knew about me until recently, I was hidden."

"I can't believe she did that," Harry snarled. Dick jerked his head up in surprise. Harry looked livid. "She's… she's…" He was at a loss for words.

"A detestable woman," Hermione cut in.

"A bloody harpy," Ron said.

" _Une méchante_ ," Dick said slowly, but he could feel a grin growing.

"A what?" Ron asked.

"Villainess, in French," he explained.

Someone snorted. Dick turned and watched in surprise as Harry laughed a bit. It was such a contrast from the angry teen he'd been minutes before.

"I just… you're my brother!" Harry exclaimed. "I have a brother!"

Dick smiled a small, shy smile. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "A brother."

"Where have you been, then?" Harry asked, grinning like a mad-man. "A brother."

Dick shrugged his shoulders self-consciously. "Around. America, currently."

"And, were you adopted?" Harry asked hesitantly, but still smiling like Christmas had come early.

"Yeah, actually, I was. By the Graysons. They were pretty amazing." He smiled softly, and suddenly it wasn't Harry in front of him anymore, it was his cousin, John.

"That's wonderful, Richard," Harry said. "So, they're okay with you being here then?"

Dick shook his head and John was gone. "I don't know. They… um… died. A few years ago, actually."

Harry's grin shrunk then disappeared. "What happened? Where do you live?"

And now they were venturing into territory Dick wanted to avoid. He wasn't exactly keen to explain what had happened to his parents, at least not in front of Ron and Hermione.

"I'm the ward of this guy named Bruce," he answered, purposely avoiding the first question.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione definitely noticed, and they all shared a look but didn't say anything. Dick appreciated that.

"He treats you alright?" Harry asked fiercely. "He's kind?"

Suddenly Dick was quite sure he knew the reason Harry didn't like their aunt and uncle's house.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "He's pretty great."

"That's good," Harry said firmly. "I'm glad."

Dick looked at Harry in surprise. Again, he was struck by the difference in the teen. He now appeared much more mature than a fifteen-year-old should be. Almost battle-ready. It reminded Dick of himself. Suddenly, he had the urge to somehow stop that feeling of responsibility from landing on Harry's shoulders. To yell at the government that thought it was okay to praise him one moment, and the next drag him through the mud the next.

Then with two loud cracks, Fred and George appeared.

Pigwidgeon started to fly around the room, twittering madly. Hermione jumped into the air. Dick whirled around and had to force himself not to kick anyone. Ugh, Bat-training.

"Stop _doing_ that!" Hermione complained weakly.

George waved her complaint off. "Hullo, Harry," he said cheerfully. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"You don't want to bottle your anger up like that, Harry, let it all out," Fred advised with a sage nod of his head. "You might even be able to let the people fifty miles away who didn't hear you, well, hear you."

Harry blinked slowly. "So you passed your apparation test then?" he asked slowly.

"And you met your brother," George said. "Are we taking turns pointing out the obvious? Because we've got another thing to point out."

"And it's that there's a big Order meeting going on, so we should be listening in," Fred said and held out an Extendable Ear. Harry looked at it in confusion.

"You'll want to be careful," Dick warned. "If your mom sees another one of those…"

"Eh." George shrugged. "It's worth it. With Harry arriving today, the meeting is going to be _big_."

"Oh, hello, Harry." Ginny came into the room, long red hair flying behind her. She sounded quite happy. "Thought I heard your voice. I see you've met Dick. By the way, the Extendable Ears won't work."

Ron's cry of: 'What! Why?' was ignored as Harry whipped around to face Dick, eyes wide. Then he looked back at Ginny, face caught somewhere between confusion and irritation. Dick would be touched if it wasn't because of his name choice.

"That's his nickname, mate." Fred nudged Harry's shoulder. "And he chose it himself. Your brother is a strange bloke."

At the same time Fred told Harry that, Ginny said loudly: "Mum put an Imperturbable Charm on the door."

Harry turned back towards Dick, ignoring Ginny's comment, like most everyone else was doing, excluding Ron and maybe Hermione. "You wanted _that_ to be your nickname?"

Dick felt his face turn crimson. "Well, it's not like I knew what it meant when I was three. Besides, Rick was already taken."

"You couldn't have chosen Richie, eh?" George asked, grinning.

"Well that sounds pretentious," Dick muttered.

"Not really," Hermione mused. "Not unless you know someone who acts like Malfoy does named Richie."

"Malfoy? He's that Slytherin kid, right?" Dick asked.

"Yeah. A right git too," Ron commented.

"And get this?" Fred smirked. "His first name is Draco. When he introduced himself, he says: 'I'm Malfoy-"

"'Draco Malfoy," George finished.

"Okay… well I don't actually know anyone who acts like that named Richie, I just never liked the name as a kid," said Dick.

"That seems like a poor choice and like it'd make you a target for bullies," Harry told him, sounding every bit the reproaching older brother. Dick wanted to laugh.

"I ignore bullies. Besides, at this point their insults are underwhelming." He shrugged. "It's always 'Dickie', 'trash', or 'freak'. You get used to it at a certain point."

"And yet you want to go back to that school instead of attending Hogwarts?" Ron asked confusedly.

Suddenly it was like a dark cloud had settled over the group. Harry glared at the floor. Hermione walked towards him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Harry," she assured him. "Dumbledore won't let you get expelled. Nor will the rest of the Order."

Harry looked up at her, face inscrutable, even to Dick's trained eye. He almost thought Harry was going to start yelling again, but instead, he asked in a surprisingly level voice: "What is 'the Order' anyway?"

"It's a secret society," Ginny explained. "Dumbledore founded it back when they fought You-Know-Who the first time. The Order of the Phoenix."

"So, who's in it?" Harry asked. Still surprisingly calm. But it was only a matter of time before he blew again. Dick couldn't even fault him for it. He knew he'd be acting the exact same way if Bruce hid something this large from him.

"Loads of people," said Fred.

"More than twenty," added George. "But we haven't met them all yet. There's McGonagall-"

"Mad-Eye-"

"Mum and dad-"

Dumbledore-"

"A few aurors-"

"Tonks and Kingsley, to name a few-"

"Then there's old Snape," George said with disgust.

"Snape! He's here?" Harry asked, sounding upset. If Snape was half as nasty to Harry as he'd been so far to Dick, then he understood why.

"Yes," said Hermione. "He has a top-secret report to give."

"Git," Ron said idly.

"He's on our side, _Ronald_ ," Hermione said exasperatedly. "I don't know why that's so hard for you to understand."

"To be fair, he _is_ pretty horrible," Dick pointed out. Harry seemed surprised he'd spoken, as did everyone else. They were all staring at him. "What? I've met him twice, and I didn't know nastier people, I'd say he was the worst person I've ever met."

"What exactly do you mean, 'nastier'?" Fred asked innocently.

Dick ignored him.

"Bill doesn't like him either," Ginny added, flopping down on Dick's bed.

"Bill's here?" Harry asked. He sat down next to Ginny. Dick could practically see the hearts flying above them, not that they saw them yet, or anyone else, it seemed. "I thought he worked in Egypt."

"Sorry, who's Bill?" Dick asked. All this time and he was still learning names. Bruce would be ashamed.

"Older brother," George said. Then to Harry: "He was. But he got a job here at Gringotts. He says he misses the tombs, but there are compensations…"

George was smirking wickedly, and Dick was pretty sure he knew what was being implied.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked. Okay, obviously he _didn't_ know what was being implied.

"Fleur Delacour, the veela girl from the Triwizard Tournament, she got a job at Gringotts too," said George. "To _eemprove 'er Eeenglish_ -"

"And three guesses as to who's been giving her a load of private lessons," sniggered Fred.

"Charlie's in the Order too," piped in Ron. "But he's still in Romania. Dumbledore figures the more foreign wizards the better."

This was the most Dick had learned so far during his stay. Which was interesting. Obviously, they hadn't wanted to tell him until they were sure he was trustworthy, or until Harry was here and they could tell him too. Or they didn't even think about the chances of him wanting to know. Which, yeah, that made sense. He hadn't been a part of their world long. He still didn't know that much about it, even with all the listening on conversations. So it was pretty understandable that they hadn't told him all that. Still, it _was_ frustrating.

"Couldn't Percy help with that?" Harry asked.

Okay, this was getting ridiculous. He'd like to know who they were talking about, thank you very much.

"Who's Percy?" he asked.

"Our older brother," said George darkly. Another brother? They were a huge family. "But don't mention him in front of mum or dad."

"Why not?" Dick and Harry asked at the same time, they glanced at each other before turning their attention back to George.

"Mum starts crying and dad breaks stuff." George shook his head sadly.

"It's been awful," Hermione whispered.

"I think it's good he's gone," Ron said, an ugly look on his face that surprised Dick, and, it seemed, Harry.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Dick himself thought it was pretty obvious. Percy must've gotten into a fight with the rest of the Weasleys. Which was pretty sad. They were nice people. They didn't deserve to have family act like that. Also, family was family. You wouldn't think that anyone who grew up with them would be so willing to throw it away over an argument. Dick knew he wouldn't.

"Percy and dad had a row," said Ginny. "First time I've ever seen dad shout like that."

"First week after term ended he came home and told us he'd been promoted," Ron explained.

"You're kidding?" Harry exclaimed.

Dick was having trouble following the conversation. He understood what was about to follow, but he didn't exactly understand why, or why him getting a promotion would be a surprise.

"He botched his first job," Ginny whispered to him. "Didn't notice that his boss was under an Imperious Curse." Dick opened his mouth to ask her what that was, but she interrupted him. "The person who casts it takes control of you, like a puppet. It's illegal."

"So, why did he get promoted then?" Harry asked loudly. Ginny turned her attention back to him. Obviously, Harry knew about the Imperious Curse.

"Now that, my friend, is just what we wondered," said Fred. "He came home really pleased and told mum and dad he's been promoted to Fudge's office-" Now that was a name Dick recognized. The Minister for Magic who seemed determined to ruin Harry. "-a really good position for someone just a year out of Hogwarts. He expected Dad to be all impressed."

"Only he wasn't," said George.

"Why not?" asked Harry.

"Fudge doesn't want anyone in contact with Dumbledore. He's been firing anyone who believes about You-Know-Who being back," Ginny explained.

"And he suspects dad," Ron concluded.

"What's that got to do with Percy?" asked Harry, which seemed unnecessary. All the pieces fell together quite nicely. But, Harry didn't seem to have put the clues together yet.

"Your dad thinks Fudge only did that to spy on you guys - and Dumbledore," said Dick.

All eyes turned towards him in surprise.

"Yes, but how'd you know that?" Ginny asked.

Dick shrugged. "It just makes sense when you put all the clues together."

"Yes, well I bet Percy loved that," Harry said, sounding like the epitome of sarcasm.

Fred laughed hollowly. "He freaked out. Said that he's had to struggle against dad's lousy reputation and that it's his fault that we're -you know - haven't got a lot of money."

"What?" Harry exclaimed. Ginny made a noise like an angry cat, and Ron snarled. Dick was floored. He knew that some people valued money more than anything else, he had to, working in Gotham, but it sounded like Percy had a loving family. Why would he give that up for a job? Dick didn't understand.

"It got worse," said Fred grimly. "He was going on about how it's a bad idea to follow Dumbledore. He said that mum and dad were traitors to the Ministry, and he didn't want to be a part of that. He packed and left. Is staying in London now.

Dick heard Harry swear under his breath and idly thought what would have happened in Alfred or Bruce caught him saying those things at home or on patrol. It wouldn't end well for him. He'd certainly be grounded.

"But… Percy must believe Voldemort's back," Harry said confusedly. "He's not stupid. He knows that your parents wouldn't just risk _everything_."

"Percy takes the Daily Prophet seriously," Hermione said sourly.

"What d'you mean?" asked Harry.

"The Daily Prophet has been dragging your name through the mud," Dick told him. No point softening the blows. "They're writing you like you're some person who thinks they're more important and better than they are."

"What?"

Before Harry could say or do anything else, they heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Oh, here comes mum," Fred said, and with a tug, the Extendable Ear retracted. He and George were gone with a crack.

The door opened.

"Oh, Richard, dear, I see you've met Harry. The meeting's over now. You can come down for dinner. Everyone's so excited to see you, Harry. And who's left all those dungbombs outside the door?"

"Crookshanks," Ginny lied smoothly. "He loves playing with them."

"Oh, I thought it might have been Kreacher," said Mrs. Weasley. "He's been doing odd things like that. Now don't forget to keep your voices down in the hall. Ginny, go wash your hands; they're filthy. What have you been doing?"

Ginny grimaced and followed her mother out of the room, leaving Dick, Ron, and Hermione alone with Harry again. Hermione and Ron looked nervously at Harry as though he might start yelling again but Dick could tell he wouldn't, if the shame on his face was anything to go by. He was also still looking at Dick curiously, which made sense. He still hadn't heard the full story about Dick presence.

"Look…" Harry muttered, but Ron shook his head.

"We knew you'd be angry, Harry, we really don't blame you. But you've got to understand that Dumbledore was really strict about it. We tried to persuade him-"

"Yeah, I know." Harry sighed. He was quiet for a moment longer, before standing up and asking: "So, who's Kreacher?"

"He's the house-elf that belongs to Sirius," Dick explained. "I haven't met him yet, but Ron's been pretty good about explaining why I don't want to."

Ron shuddered. "Yeah. He's a nasty bugger. Completely bonkers."

" _Ron_ ," said Hermione reproachingly. "He's not crazy."

"His life's ambition is to have his head hung on a plaque like his mother," Ron deadpanned.

"That is a little crazy," Dick agreed.

Hermione huffed and walked out of the room briskly. Ron took off after her, with a _completely_ surreptitious glance at Dick and Harry.

Dick leaned against the wall next to the open door. "Well, that was subtle," he drawled.

Harry nodded his head. "Hermione's always been a better actor than him."

"I figured."

Harry nodded again, and the room descended into an awkward silence.

Dick wasn't sure what to say. He'd never had an older brother. He'd had John, who was like one, but Harry wasn't John. He couldn't just start talking to him. And again, he wasn't quite sure what to say.

"So, what was your adoptive family like?" Harry finally asked, so quietly that Dick thought he'd been mistaken.

"Pretty great," said Dick.

"No. I mean-" Harry made an all-encompassing gesture as if that would explain what he meant. Finally, he said: "Where did you live? Do you have any aunts or uncles? Any cousins?"

"Um, all over the world. We travelled a lot. I have an uncle, but he's sick. I used to have an older cousin. He died when he was about your age and I was eight," answered Dick. "I guess I have our aunt, uncle, and cousin now too, though."

"Yeah, well you'll wish you didn't if you ever meet them," muttered Harry sourly.

"Are they that bad? Family is family, after all."

"They're that bad," said Harry darkly.

"Oh." Dick closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Still. Helps when people are actually sorry, not faking it. Trust me."

They were silent a few moments longer.

"We should go get dinner," Harry finally said.

Dick stood up straighter and bounced on his heels. "I'll show you where the dining room is. Follow me."

He opened the door, and suddenly the sound of shouting filled the air.

" _Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers!_ "

Dick took off running down the stairs, with Harry close behind. They reached the bottom just in time to see Sirius rushing down the hallway and towards the screaming portrait of an old woman.

" _Yooou!_ " she screeched at the sight of Sirius and pointed a gnarled finger. " _Blood traitor! Abomination! Shame of my flesh!_ "

"I said shut up!" Sirius roared and slammed the curtains closed. Then he turned towards Dick, but his focus was on Harry, standing just a few steps above him. "Hello, Harry. I see you've met my mother."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I like Harry and Dick's interactions a lot in this chapter. I think I did a pretty good job of having it be realistic in terms of their personalities. I chose to go the route of Harry and Dick just feeling each other out instead of Harry freaking out over Dick's very existence. It feels more realistic to me, at least. I'd love to hear what you think, though. Any things you think should be adjusted? Any characters majorly OOC?
> 
> Thanks so much for all the support on this story! It means the world to me. Also, I probably won't get another chapter out for a while. I have a lot of stuff I'm going to be doing this next month. As mentioned in the very first chapter, I really only write when I feel like it to, and for now, I seem to have used up all my inspiration for this story. Who knows though?


	10. Giving & Gaining Knowledge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got this one done too! Again, mainly just grammar and spelling that was fixed! Still, it's better!
> 
> 7/20/18

_August 6th_

Dinner was… interesting, to say the least. Everything was lighthearted, the kind of lighthearted where people were trying too hard. The kind where a dark cloud was hanging over everyone, but no one wanted to bring it up. So, everyone was faking it, basically. And everyone continued to fake it up until Harry demanded to know what was going on.

Dick winced. Mrs. Weasley didn't look like she appreciated Harry's demand. But Harry stood his ground on his right to know. And Sirius sided with him. After an incredibly awkward argument that Dick lay witness to, Mrs. Weasley turned toward him and Ginny and roared: "Out!"

Dick slunk out of the room after Ginny, who was doing her best to make a lot of noise. He followed her halfway up the stairs and sat down on the landing next to her. She didn't acknowledge him, but he knew she was aware of him.

"It kinda sucks, doesn't it?" he asked her airily. If anyone could understand being underestimated because of age, it was him. "When everyone just assumes that because you're young you aren't able to understand important stuff?"

"Definitely." Ginny threw her arms up in the air. "I just don't understand why though! It's not like me knowing is going to end the world. Or like I'm going to go share secrets with everyone in Hogwarts. I'm not dumb. And I'm not a child."

"Yeah, but parents are kinda strange." Ginny gave him a sideways glance, but bit her lip and didn't say anything. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was thinking though. "Just because mine aren't around anymore doesn't mean I'm not coddled sometimes. My guardian is like this strange mixture of trusting me and being super over-protective about little things."

"Yeah, sorry," Ginny apologized.

Dick shrugged. "I'm kinda used to it. But thanks for not just coming out and saying it. That means a lot."

Ginny gave him a small smile. "Well, I wouldn't like it if someone came out and asked a question like that, or just mentioned it."

"Still, most people aren't as considerate as you. So thanks."

"Like who?" Ginny asked.

"Mostly bullies. I think they find it amusing. Kinda like a nerd with his own issues all wrapped up and ready for them to mess with." Dick gave her a self-deprecating smile. "Plus a few teachers at my school, not many, only a few, seem to think that I'm using stuff like that as an excuse to get ahead. Doesn't really make sense, but then again, neither do most things in the world."

"That sound like Snape. He does that with Harry, you know, the whole 'I'm afraid that Mr. Potter's famous parents aren't able to help him in potions today, boo hoo' thing," Ginny informed him.

"Why is he a teacher?" Dick asked incredulously. "I mean, he just seems terrible to everyone in general."

"He is, but Dumbledore trusts him, so…"

"That seems dumb. Sure, he trusts him, but it would work a lot better if he told other people why. And perhaps didn't let the anti-social-man-who-hates-all-children work as a teacher," Dick mused.

Ginny giggled. "No kidding."

Dick smirked. "Now, since we've determined that being underestimated suck, but there's no way people won't until we're adults, why don't we go explore instead of sulk?"

Dick hopped to his feet and grabbed Ginny's hand before yanking her to her feet and dragging her along behind him, a slightly amusing sight because he was a few inches shorter than her.

She let him, laughing brightly. Once they reached the top floor, another gloomy hallway with more closed doors, Dick stopped and looked up. Ginny followed his gaze.

Dick grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows. "Wanna explore the attic?"

"I'd love to," Ginny said. "But how are we going to open the hatch? It's too high to reach."

"Kneel down here and cup your hands like this." Dick demonstrated.

"I don't think that you standing on my hand will make you tall enough to reach, Dick," Ginny commented, but she listened.

Dick jogged back a few paces and got in position. "Okay now, don't move. I'm gonna use your hand as a springboard."

"Uh-huh," Ginny snorted.

"Ye of little faith, prepare to be amazed."

Ginny rolled her eyes. Dick ran forward and jumped onto her hands, easily using them to launch himself a few feet in the air. He grabbed the handle of the hatch and let it come down with him. Dick's feet touched the ground lightly and set the now lowered ladder on the floor.

"Told you I could," he teased Ginny.

Ginny looked at the ladder, then him, then the ladder, and back again.

"How…" she began faintly.

"A little luck and many, many hours in a gym," he said. "Now, are you ready to explore the attic for a bit. You know, as long as we don't touch most of the stuff. It's probably all cursed."

"Sure. I'll assume I'm climbing first?"

Dick shrugged and made a strange flourish. "Ladies first."

Ginny hopped onto the ladder. Dick waited until she was up and he was sure no one else was coming to clamber after her. He reached the top a few seconds after he started up the ladder. I was a huge room filled with boxes, cobwebs, and slanted ceilings, all illuminated by the soft glow coming from Ginny's wand. Dick looked around for a moment before looking at Ginny's wand pointedly.

Ginny shrugged. "I'm not an idiot, you know. Professor McGonagall has been teaching you some spells here, and no one from the Ministry for Magic has come knocking yet. The building certainly has enough charms and magical protections to stay secret for a few underage magic performances."

"Good point," Dick acquiesced. "You know, I'm surprised that Hermione and Ron haven't mentioned or taken advantage of that yet."

"Well, Hermione knows. She was actually the one that pointed it out to me," Ginny admitted sheepishly. "It does sound obvious, but coming from the view of someone who's never known those types of spells were possible, like my brother and I, it's a bit hard to figure out. It's Hermione's biggest advantage when it comes to magic; she doesn't know all the rules we were taught as children, so she's able to come to better and more unique conclusions."

Dick nodded his head. "That… actually makes a lot of sense. Good for her. So I'm assuming you guys didn't tell Ron then?"

"No," Ginny said emphatically. "Ron is a good person, but sometimes he can be a little… rude."

Ginny and Dick shared a smile. Then turned away from each other and stared into the attic.

"So, where do you want to start?" Ginny asked.

Dick shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe over-"

" _Ginny! Richard_!"

Ginny groaned loudly. "That's mum. They must be done talking about the Order."

"So we should probably get out of here before she finds us, right? Somehow I get the feeling this is something that's _probably_ against the rules." And the image of being found up here by Mrs. Weasley was horrifying. He could practically feel the Alfred-level disappointment coming off of her.

Dick slid down the ladder first, followed by Ginny. He lifted the ladder up and pushed it into the ceiling just in time. Mrs. Weasley appeared a second after the ladder clicked into place. Dick did his best to look innocent, and thankfully, Mrs. Weasley seemed to buy it.

"Oh, there you are. Why are you all the way up here anyway?" she asked, then shook her head. "Never mind that. At least I found you. Now, it's late and today has been exciting for all of us. Bed."

Ginny moaned and groaned, but in between that, Dick saw her wink at him, and he knew their adventure into the attic would stay secret and be continued at some point. Which was nice. He liked Ginny. She reminded him of Barbara, and he shuddered to imagine what would happen to the world if he introduced them.

Dick slipped away and went down the stairs to the room he shared with Ron and now Harry. He was hoping to beat them there so he could change first, or at least text Bruce in private a little. Tell him about meeting Harry.

Unfortunately, Harry was in the room alone, sitting on the bottom bunk. Ron was nowhere to be seen, so Dick could only assume that he was in the bathroom or grabbing more food downstairs. Which left Dick in a very awkward situation. Sure, he'd already talked to Harry a bit, but now that some of the awkwardness was gone, Dick wasn't sure what he was supposed to say or do. Should he be asking about Harry's childhood friend?

Luckily, Harry spotted him and stopped him from freaking out over what to say anymore.

"Hey," Harry said cautiously.

Dick raised his hand. "Hi, Harry."

The silence was suffocating. And Dick really wasn't sure what else to say. Before, most of their conversation with each other had been controlled slightly by the other people in the room, but now it was just them without anyone to start them on a topic.

"So…" Harry finally began. "Where do you live? You said America, but what city?"

"Um, Gotham City," Dick answered, then backtracked. "You know where that is, right? Because I had to explain American Geography to Ron, which kinda threw me for a loop."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, wizards aren't the best at understanding the muggle world. I had to explain what a telephone was to Ron once, and even then, when he tried to call me, he was yelling over it."

"That happened to me too," Dick said, grinning. "But with my cell phone. He asked me if it worked the same as a 'fellytone'. Then I kinda explain more than he probably wanted to know."

"Ron knows a whole lot about the wizarding world, but throw him in the muggle one and he sticks out like a sore thumb," Harry said. "But Gotham City? That's where you live?"

Dick recognized the tone. The look. It was something he got any time people found out he lived in Gotham. The careful stare. The sideways look. Like they weren't sure if he was going to steal something or murder someone. Ah, the advantages of living in Gotham. To be fair though, Harry just looked worried for him.

"Yeah," Dick answered carefully, looking at the ground. "It's an interesting city."

Harry tilted his head. "Isn't it where that one member of the Justice League works? Batman, right?"

"Yeah, actually, it is. I'm glad you know who they are. I ended up having to explain it all to Ron. He was especially amazed about aliens."

Harry laughed wryly. "Oh, I know about superheroes. Dudley, our cousin, he loves them. Though Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia always tried very hard to keep me away from them. I think they were worried I'd get ideas."

"Oh." Dick wasn't quite sure what to say to that.

"But I suppose what I meant was isn't Gotham dangerous?" Harry continued.

Dick shook his head. "Not really. Or at least not if you know how to get around. I've lived there for a while now, so I'm pretty good at avoiding trouble. Usually."

Harry looked slightly alarmed.

"I'm kidding. I don't get in trouble." Well, except for his work as Robin. And a few kidnapping instances as Richard Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne. But hey, Harry didn't need to know that. "Sorry, I'm probably not making it sound super safe."

"Not really," Harry admitted.

"Well, sorry. Most of my friends are from Gotham or know me well enough not to worry." Dick winced. Foot, meet mouth.

Harry flinched, which wasn't really that unpredictable.

"I don't know you very well, do I?" Harry asked regretfully.

"Well, not really," Dick said. "I mean, we're related by blood, but we just met each other a few hours ago. And it's not like we've just spilt life stories to each other. And no offence, but I don't think that'll happen anytime soon."

It kinda sucked, but both of them were well aware it was the truth.

Harry slumped and placed his head in his hands. Dick looked at Harry cautiously, and briefly considered placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, but he chose not to. They weren't there yet.

"You know, I never thought I'd have a brother." Harry looked up at Dick earnestly. "My… our parents are dead. For as long as I can remember I always wished for a real family. Not the Dursleys. And now I just… I wish we actually knew each other."

"Well, Like I said, life story being spilt to each other is unlikely this early, but I can tell you some things. Just ask what you wanna know," Dick told him. "As long as I get to ask stuff too."

"That sounds fair, Dick," Harry agreed. "So, I'm not really sure where to start. Um, you spoke French earlier. Do you know a lot of it or just a few words?"

"Um, I'm fluent in it. It's a fun language," Dick admitted sheepishly.

"Really?" Harry asked. "That's pretty cool."

"Thanks. So, do you do any sports?" Dick asked awkwardly.

"Yeah. I play Quidditch. I'm a seeker."

Dick nodded. "That's the one that chases after the Golden Snitch?"

"Yeah. Ron gave you a rundown?"

"He's very passionate about it, that's for sure," Dick said.

"What about you?" Harry asked. "Do you do any sports?"

Dick debated for a moment. Technically he was only a mathlete at school, but at home and as Robin he still practised acrobats and trapeze.

"I'm a mathlete at school," he said.

Harry's brow furrowed. "Mathlete?"

"You know, math competitions against other schools. I also do acrobatics and trapeze stuff at home though," Dick added.

"Trapeze? Isn't that the thing where you swing on ropes and flip in the air?" Harry asked.

Dick nodded. "Exactly. I really love it."

"You know, our dad, James, he was a really talented flyer. I guess it's just cool that we both ended up doing stuff that has to do with flying," Harry explained.

And yeah, that was a good point. It actually made Dick feel kind of warm inside. Like even though he'd never known them, hadn't seen them since he was a few days old, there was still that connection.

"That's nice," Dick agreed softly. "Thanks, Harry."

* * *

_August 7th_

To say Dick was surprised when his phone rang that morning at breakfast would be a lie. It felt kind of like too much of a good thing. Everything was going so well that something had to mess it up. So yeah, his phone rang at breakfast and he wasn't surprised. He did, however, draw a few strange looks from the gathered group.

Dick pushed a few buttons on the phone and answered it.

"Dick." Bruce's gravelly voice was nice to hear. He'd missed the man even though it'd been a day. "We have a mission tomorrow and you're going to be introduced to a new teammate."

"Okay. So tonight or tomorrow morning?" Dick asked. He could feel people's eyes on him.

"Tonight preferably," Bruce commanded. "You were invited to a beach day tomorrow morning, weren't you?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah. I was thinking of skipping though. I mean, it's not necessary, and I have more important things going on right now."

"It is imperative to form bonds with your team members on more than just missions," Bruce said.

"Ha ha." And this was coming from the King of Teamwork himself. Not. "You know, you should follow your own advice. But yeah, it would be nice. I just figured that maybe I shouldn't because… well, you know."

Dick still felt very much like a bug under glass. Everyone was watching him, and he really should just walk away, but it would look a little suspicious if he walked away now, especially with how simple he was making the conversation seem.

"Dick, you may not think it, but you deserve a break," Bruce said, voice uncharacteristically soft over the phone.

Dick sighed deeply. Yeah, he would go. He missed the Team. They were his friends, some of his best friends. He missed them. Missed the first few weeks of the Team where he actually had time to spend at the Mountain. Plus there was a mission tomorrow and meeting a new teammate that Bruce would no-doubt want him to research. And maybe he could finally give Wally an explanation of what was going on with him.

"Yeah, okay. That… that would be nice. I'll let Sirius know," he promised. "See you tomorrow morning."

"Don't forget about the time change," Bruce ordered before hanging up.

Dick shoved his phone into his pocket and looked over at the group staring at him.

"That was Bruce," he explained. "He just wanted to let me know I have something going on tomorrow."

"You do?" Hermione asked dubiously. "What is it?"

"I've gotta meet someone. By the way, Sirius," Dick began. "I'm gonna need to be apparated back home at noon tomorrow."

"You're leaving?" Harry asked. "I just met you."

"Yeah. I do have a bunch of stuff to do this summer. Plus, I haven't really had the chance to see my friends much this summer. We're doing a beach day."

"You're leaving here for a beach day with your friends?" Ron asked, and Dick may have been getting along quite a bit better with the redhead than when they first met, but they did still clash.

"I have spent nearly the whole time since learning I was adopted here. I do have a social life, and I do still like my friends, lowly mortals they may be," Dick retorted, though he made sure to smile so no one would mistake his teasing as being serious.

"I guess that makes sense," Ron agreed. "Sorry, mate."

"Are you sure you can't stay?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "We really don't mind having you."

"That's not why I can't stay," Dick explained. "But I do have a life outside of all this. And I can't just go missing from it. Also, as a ward of the state, if a social worker came over to check on me in a surprise visit and found I wasn't home, that could get Bruce in trouble or arrested."

"What!" Sirius exclaimed. Everyone else looked scandalized.

Dick rubbed his temple. Ah, the joys of explaining the normal, American adoption system.

"But aren't you adopted?" George asked.

"So that means they couldn't take you away," Fred added, slightly unsure.

"No, I'm not adopted. It's… a little complicated. Since Bruce is a single guy and since I'm what's considered a 'high-risk orphan', they wouldn't let him adopt me. Right now he's technically cleared for it, but I decided not to opt for it. Basically, that means I'm a foster kid for him. There are still yearly checkups into my well being by social workers to make sure I'm not being abused and once a year there's a surprise well being check up."

"You're not adopted by him?" Sirius asked. "Why wouldn't you want to be?"

"It's…" Dick hesitated. Why didn't he want Bruce to adopt him? "I guess when I was ten and Bruce was finally cleared for adoption, I didn't want him to. I'm pretty happy the way it is. Plus I'm still considered a 'high-risk orphan', so there'd still be checkups on me once a year until I'm an adult."

He didn't add that he wanted to keep his name too. He had the feeling that might just feel like adding insult to injury for Harry.

"Why are you a 'high-risk orphan'?" Hermione asked. "And what does that even mean? Like, you're more likely to run away?"

Dick winced. "Not exactly. It's… basically, it's a fancy term for someone whose life is in danger, either from themselves or someone else."

The room was deathly silent. Scarily silent. Dick could practically hear the gears turning in everyone's minds as they deciphered what he meant. And he wasn't sure what conclusion they would come to. In a way though, both of them were kinda true.

Finally, Ginny broke the silence: "Like… _suicidal_?"

"Um…" Dick felt the heat rising up to his face. While he hadn't ever truly tried to kill himself or harm himself, there certainly were times, even now, where he would wonder if the world might just be easier if he didn't join his parents. And he would be lying if he said he hadn't ever thought about doing… it. But that was behind him now. "Yeah. That."

Though he'd been put on the list, not because of suicidal tendencies, because it was Gotham and what did they care if a few more orphans disappeared? No, he'd been put on the list because of Tony Zucco, and the chance that one of his associates might come after him. To be honest though, if anyone knew what had gone through his mind after, that was why he would have been put on the list.

"That-that's not why I'm on the list though," he said quickly. He didn't want anyone to come to the wrong conclusion. "It's Gotham, you know? I was kinda in danger 'cause I saw a crime happen. Not uncommon in Gotham. And I testified against it."

Everyone's faces relaxed by a lot. And he meant a _lot_.

"That's… good to know," Mrs. Weasley said weakly.

"Okay… so, am I good to head home tomorrow, then?" Dick asked.

* * *

_August 8th_

"Hey, guys!" Dick exclaimed, waving madly to M'gann, Conner, and Kaldur. "Where's Wally?"

M'gann's face twisted into sympathy. "His school starts earlier than ours."

"Aw man," Dick whined. "I was looking forward to seeing him."

"He was looking forward to seeing you as well," Kaldur informed him. "Yesterday he was telling us how excited he was to see you since you're always busy now." The unasked question hung in the air.

Dick laughed lightly. "Yeah. I have a few things going on in my civilian life. But it won't get in the way of missions, promise. Besides, it should clear up by the time summer's over."

"You sure?" Conner asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Now, who's ready to have fun in the sun?"

* * *

_August 9th_

"So," Wally challenged. "Finally have some free time, huh?"

Dick shrugged and flopped down on his bed. "Thanks for coming over tonight. I know I haven't exactly been the best friend the past few weeks."

Wally wiggled his hand. "It's not a problem, dude. I do wanna know the whole situation with you being adopted and having an older brother."

"It's crazier than my nightlife."

Wally froze. Then he turned towards Dick slowly, eyes wide. "You're serious?"

Dick grinned slyly, though his heart wasn't in it. "Sirius is my name."

"Oh my god," Wally whispered. "And did B tell you? About being adopted?"

Dick shook his head. This was where Wally's belief would be pushed to the limit. "No. You see, apparently, I was kidnapped from my bio-parents by my aunt, who then left me on the steps of an orphanage to, and I quote: 'Save him from my sister's freakishness.' Then my bio-parents were murdered by a maniac, leaving only my older brother alive to grow up with the aunt who abandoned me."

Wally gaped. Dick would have laughed at the expression if this wasn't his life. Honestly, it sounded like something out of a book.

"So, Graysons adopted you at the orphanage then?"

Dick nodded his head tiredly. The time difference was starting to take a toll on him by now.

"Yeah. And then my godfather, the one my bio-parents chose, came to the Manor and gave me the whole story. And this is where it gets a _little_ weird."

"It's not already weird?" Wally asked dryly.

"Well, trust me, this is where it gets weirder," Dick said. "Now I know you don't believe in magic, but I'm gonna need you to pretend you believe in it for this." Wally started to whine, but Dick held a hand up, silencing his friend. "Please, Wally."

Wally sighed deeply but nodded once.

"So, turns out my bio-family belonged to a secret sect of British wizards. My godfather is an escaped convict accused of mass murder but innocent, my older brother is supposed to save the wizarding world from Voldemort, the guy who killed our parents and attempted to kill him but failed, and last but not least, the crazy guy never knew I existed, but now he does, so I've been teleporting back and forth to London to stay safe and meet my brother."

He watched Wally's face move through a flurry of emotions, and finally settle on a mixture of disbelief and shock.

"I'm sorry, but _what_?!"

"If it helps, the 'magic'," Dick performed air quotes for Wally's sake. "Might only be a meta-ability to control energy."

Wally's face visibly relaxed. "That would make sense. It's a logical reason."

Dick snorted. But he could pretend magic was explainable for Wally's sake. The redhead was his best friend, and even if he really believed in magic, it wouldn't be hard to let Wally have this.

"So, a crazy guy is trying to kill you? Dick nodded. "Family drama?" Dick nodded again. "So not really that different than your normal life then."

Dick laughed, and the tension melted. "Exactly. And Wally, thanks for listening."

Wally smiled at him from the floor before throwing a blanket over himself. "Of course I would. You're my best friend, Dick."

They were both silent for a moment, looking up at the ceiling in Dick's room. Suddenly, Dick shuddered.

"Did we just have a bonding moment?" he asked.

"I think we did." Wally sounded just as disgusted as Dick felt. "Let's be manly and pretend this never happened, agreed?"

"Definitely."


	11. Accents & Trials

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got the next chapter written, guys! I like it a lot, mainly in the first half. I'm slightly less sure on the second half. I'm sick right now, so I have plenty of free time to write though! Maybe I'll even get another chapter out in a few days!
> 
> Quick request: if anyone notices anything that doesn't match up with a previous chapter, it'd be great to know so I can fix it. Also, I went back and edited literally every single chapter, so you guys might want to go back and reread them. It won't affect anything from this chapter, but it's still important.
> 
> I have changed the time Harry had breakfast before his trial, but just so he could talk to Dick a little bit.
> 
> Anyway, make sure to tell me what you guys think!

_August 9th_

When he felt his shoulder being shaken roughly, Dick opened his eyes reluctantly. It was still early, he could tell. The sun wasn't even out yet and his clock read 2:04 am. Wally was hovering above him, grimacing.

"Dude, Bruce just asked me to wake you up. Something about a trial?" Wally sounded unsure on the last part. Curious too.

"Ugh," Dick groaned, rubbing his hand over his face and sitting up. "I totally forgot about it. Is Sirius here?"

"Who?" Wally asked. "Didn't you say that's what your bio-parents named you?"

"Brother's godfather," Dick explained shortly. "That's who I was named after. He's my bio-dad's best friend. Is he here? Tall guy? Shoulder length black hair? Kinda sick looking?"

Wally shrugged and turned the light on. Dick's eyes took a moment to adjust, but soon they were used to it. "I think so. I just kinda saw him outta the corner of my eye when Bruce opened the door. Is he one of those 'magic' people?"

Dick could practically hear the air quotes around the word 'magic'. At least Wally was consistent in his disbelief.

"You know," Dick commented. "The magic and stuff does actually come from a specific gene. It lets the people with the gene control energy."

"It does?" Wally yelped. "Why didn't you say so last night? I mean, you said it was _possible_. Not _true_. Don't you think that might have been important to me?"

Dick shoved Wally away from him and stood up, careful to avoid the erratic waving of Wally's long arms.

"I forgot," he said simply. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not perfect."

"What do you mean popular belief?" Wally asked, finally dropping his arms. "I don't think I know anyone who thinks you're perfect."

"Haha," Dick said dryly, kneeling on the floor and grabbing his backpack from under his bed. It had everyday things he brought with him to and from Grimmauld Place that he needed every day, like his toothbrush. "Your sense of humour is astounding."

"I know. It's a gift," Wally told him, walking over and sitting down on the floor next to Dick. "Anyway, why is this Sirius guy here? Where are you going?"

Dick grimaced. "I didn't really explain it well, but I guess I was born in Britain?" It sounded like a question, but it wasn't. He was glad Wally understood that. "My bio-brother, his name is Harry. Apparently, the maniac who killed… our parents disappeared trying to kill Harry."

Wally opened his mouth, no doubt to ask a question, but Dick held a hand up to silence him.

"Magic," Dick said by way of explanation to Wally's unasked question of 'how?'. "So, manic who killed them while trying to take over the world was thought dead. Then beginning of this summer he comes back to life, I guess, but only Harry sees him. Throw in a corrupt government that's trying to discredit Harry and call him an attention-grabbing brat, and that's pretty much what's going on.

"Then some monsters that suck souls tried to kill Harry, who was forced to use magic outside of school, which is illegal. Now Harry has to go to wizarding court to prove he would have been soulless if he didn't use the magic. That's why I'm being brought to London. So that I can wish him good luck and see the result of the hearing."

Wally gaped at him and Dick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. It was a lot to handle learning. And most definitely overwhelming, emphasis on the over.

Then Wally shook his head and grinned slightly. "I'm guessing this means our impromptu sleepover is being cut short, huh?"

"Sorry, dude. I'm sure Bruce'll let you stay the rest of the night till you have to get up for school tomorrow and run there," Dick offered.

Wally shook his head and grimaced dramatically. "No way, bro. Bruce is scary. I'll take my chances and head over to Roy's place. I'm sure he won't kick me out as long as I don't mention," here Wally made a face, "Artemis or bring Oliver."

Dick snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that."

Wally shrugged. "Eh, he's still cool. Plus he's the only other one who knows your identity, so he'll understand if I say you had to leave and my only other option was staying here with Bruce."

"Uh huh."

"That reminds me, are you going to tell him what's going on?" Wally asked. "I know he'd understand. I mean, Roy was adopted twice too."

Dick shrugged, but he had to admit that Wally made a really good point, even if Dick wasn't adopted by Bruce, their relationship was close enough to a father and son.

"Do you wanna meet Sirius before I go?" Dick asked, purposely and not very skillfully avoiding Wally's question. "I'll just tell him you already know about magic." Dick winced. "Just… don't mention what you believe about it. I don't think he'd appreciate it."

"Well, if he can't handle the truth I guess I'll have to keep quiet," Wally humphed. "That doesn't mean that I'll think it's anything other than energy controlling or anything though."

Dick grinned. While he knew the 'magic' was from a gene, he wasn't sure if it was energy controlling or anything else. In his opinion, magic was real, and just because something could be explained by science didn't mean it wasn't magic.

"Ready then? And make sure to leave only after you're sure that Sirius is gone. I don't even want to imagine how I would explain your super speed to him. Most wizards don't even know about superheroes they're so far removed. Heck, most don't even know about phones!"

Wally laughed and offered him a hand up. "I bet you must love that."

Dick took his friend's hand and scowled. "I'm just glad my phone works. But yeah, it's terrible."

Wally opened the door and marched out. For some reason, it was extremely comical to watch Wally march through the Manor in a yellow Flash t-shirt and grey sweatpants along with white, holey socks. Dick bit his lip to keep from laughing.

"Wally," he began, voice laced with amusement. "You look sort of ridiculous."

Wally grinned and started to walk down the stairs backwards. Dick jumped up on the bannister and walked down alongside him.

"So, anything else I should know about Sirius before I meet him?"

Dick tapped a finger against his chin thoughtfully.

"I kinda spilled, you know, about my parents," he admitted. It felt good. "The wizarding world is so cut off most of them who've grown up in it don't even know who Bruce Wayne is, much less me."

"So no one knows about your parents? Or juvie? About anything?" Wally asked.

"Well, they know my parents are dead, even if I haven't come out and said anything. I just mentioned social services and Bruce being my guardian a few times, and it doesn't take a genius to put the clues together," Dick said, pausing on the bannister. "I haven't really said anything specific because it's nice not being pitied for it. But it just kinda came out when I talked to Sirius. So… not really important, I guess, but I wanted to tell you."

Wally smiled, albeit a bit sadly. "I'm your friend, dude. What am I here for if not to listen to every dumb thing you wanna talk about?"

Dick laughed and started walking again. "Good point, Wally. And I suppose I do it enough for you that it was time you returned the favour."

"Haha," Wally said, scowling exaggeratedly.

They made it to the bottom of the staircase a few moments after, and even though Dick was pretty sure his heart had exploded with worry over what might happen, he was feeling okay. Banter with Wally had definitely helped. Heck, just seeing his best friend had helped.

Dick led Wally through to the study, where Sirius was waiting for him. Sirius raised an eyebrow at the sight of Wally, but other than that, he didn't say anything.

"Sirius, this is my friend, Wally," Sick introduced. "Wally, Sirius."

"It's lovely to meet you," Sirius told Wally politely, but he shot a strange look at Bruce. Dick noticed it.

"Good to meet you too," Wally told Sirius, looking him over suspiciously as if him being a wizard would make him green and scaly. Once he was deemed safe, Wally looked at Dick reluctantly, as if unwilling to admit it.

There was an awkward silence in which no one said anything. Bruce because he never talked. Wally because of his distrust of anything called magic, even if there was a scientific reason behind it. Sirius because he was probably worried about Wally not knowing about the magic world. From what Dick had heard, Britain was a lot stricter on staying hidden than America.

To be fair though, in America magic existing was common knowledge. What with Zatara, Captain Marvel, and all the other superheroes and villains with magic-based powers, how could it not be? It was just that not how common it was was known or that there were schools.

"Um, so Wally knows about magic," Dick said slowly, testing Sirius' reaction. It wasn't as extreme as he feared, but it also wasn't as tame as he hoped.

"You told him about magic?" Sirius asked incredulously, eyes wide.

Dick nodded his head. "The laws in America are different than the laws in Europe. Mainly because of superheroes with magic and stuff. So I can tell anyone about it legally as long as it's me telling them." Also, Wally already 'knew' about magic, working with other heroes who could use it, though Dick used the term very loosely.

"Okay," Sirius said slowly. "Well, are you ready? Harry sets out in about thirty minutes for his trial."

Dick gestured to the backpack in his hands. "Yeah, I'm ready. Sorry, I'm not dressed," he said, gesturing down at his loose sweatpants and a Superman t-shirt. Comfortable as pyjamas, but not really what he liked wearing around people. Plus it showed one of his many scars just above his elbow. He would bet dollars to doughnuts that someone noticed it at some point at Grimmauld Place before he had a chance to wear a long sleeved shirt or sweatshirt over it. "I guess I forgot about it with the thing I had to get to earlier today, well, yesterday, now that I think about it, taking up my time."

"No problem at all, Dick. Grab on," Sirius said, holding his arm out.

Dick grinned at Wally once more before touching Sirius' arm and disapparating with him.

* * *

_August 9th_

When they arrived on the steps of Number 12 Grimmauld Place a moment later, the sun was just beginning to rise in the sky. He yawned at the sight of it, realizing just how tired he was going to be today. He'd only fallen asleep at 12:30 am and Sirius had come for him at 2 am. He had three options that might keep him from falling asleep on his feet. A: Suck it up. He'd dealt with worse many other times. Granted, he'd been losing sleep since he started going back and forth from Wayne Manor and Grimmauld Place. B: Give up Robin. That would mean more sleep. Or C: Drink a gallon of coffee as soon as someone opened the door for him and Sirius.

So far, he liked option C the best. Finally, Mrs. Weasley opened the door for them. Her eyes landed on Dick right away and softened.

"Oh, dearie, how early is it where you live? You must be exhausted. Come in, come in. Harry's just eating some toast in the kitchen," she said, leading them through the halls, purple dressing gown flowing behind her as she walked.

When she entered the kitchen and Dick followed her, he noticed Remus and Tonks right away, both yawning widely with dark circles under their eyes, though Remus' were darker. Dick suspected he just always looked tired because even when he'd first met the man, he'd had dark circles under his eyes. Harry was seated beside Mr. Weasley, holding a piece of toast loosely in his hands and looking very pale. It was something Dick had noticed; while Harry could be considered tan, he didn't have the same bronze skin tone Dick did. Briefly, Dick wondered if his skin tone came from his bio-mom or bio-dad.

"Morning, Dick," Tonks greeted, sounding as dead outside as he felt inside. Her hair was blonde and curly.

"Hullo, Dick," Harry said, smiling weakly as if he was trying to seem less worried for Dick's sake. The idea was so laughable that Dick almost snorted. Instead, however, he made his way to the coffee pot and poured himself a large cup.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking coffee?" Remus asked, frowning disapprovingly.

Dick shrugged. "No. Besides, are there any effects other than keeping me awake you can think of?"

Remus' brow pinched, but he said nothing else. Dick sat down next to Harry and made small chat for a few more minutes before Mr. Weasley stood up, obviously finished with his conversation with Tonks, stretched, and checked his watch all the while Mrs. Weasley attempted to get Harry's hair to lay flat.

"Doesn't it ever stay down?" she asked helplessly. Harry shook his head.

"Not without lots of hair gel," Dick advised her before downing the rest of his coffee and moving to get another cup. Remus reached over and grabbed the pot. Dick glowered at him. Unfortunately, that didn't work on Remus.

"I think we'll go now," Mr. Weasley said. Dick turned away from Remus and refocused on the main conversation. "We're a bit early, but I think you'll be better off there than hanging around here."

"Okay," Harry said. His face was very blank and still really pale. It was actually slightly worrying.

"You'll be alright, Harry," Tonks said consolingly, patting him on the arm.

"Good luck," said Remus. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"And if it's not, I'll see to Amelia Bones for you..." Sirius said, sounding equal parts threatening and humorous.

"Okay," Harry said, still sounding emotionless, but he was a little less pale, so it was positive in Dick's book.

Mrs. Weasley hugged him fiercely, then pulled back and held him by the shoulders, just looking at him. It reminded Dick of what his mom used to do before every show for him.

"Right," Harry said. "See you later."

Everyone muttered a quick goodbye. Dick also stood up and walked up to Harry, hugging him. Now, Dick was a touchy-feely person. Pretty much everyone that knew him really well knew that. But he really only acted touchy-feely around people he trusted. He didn't trust Harry yet, but he was getting there. This hug, however, wasn't just for comfort. It was also to tell Harry something.

"Fudge isn't going to let you get a word in edgewise," he hissed into Harry's ear. "Watch your answers. Don't start with the word 'yes' or 'no'. That way he has to let you finish talking."

Dick had never met Fudge, but based on what he'd heard everyone else say, the man seemed like every other power-hungry politician. Hence Dick's advice. He'd certainly spent enough time around politicians to know how to act around them.

When he pulled back, Harry was looking at him with wide eyes. With that, Mr. Weasley pulled Harry out of the kitchen.

It was only a few minutes after Harry left when everyone else came trooping downstairs. Ginny, Fred, George, Ron, and Hermione. Everyone was dressed except Ron, who was in his pyjamas of loose maroon sweatpants and an orange jersey that said 'Chudley Cannons'.

"Oh, hello, Dick," Hermione said brightly. "Did you see Harry on his way out?"

It wasn't hard to see how worried everyone was. And with good reason. If even half of what they told him the Ministry of Magic was doing and saying about Harry was true, then he was in for a tough time, easy trial or not.

"Yeah. He seemed nervous," Dick said. "I think it'll all be okay, though."

"I do too, of course," Hermione said quickly, though she was biting her lip. "He should get off. It was obviously in self-defence."

"Just because he should doesn't mean he will," Dick said. Everyone turned to look at him incredulously. Oh, yeah. Not from Gotham. Even knowing of its reputation wasn't the same living there. "But I'm sure he will. It can't be as bad as Gotham."

"And what makes Gotham so bad, exactly?" Sirius asked. Everyone nodded their heads along with his question, showing interest in hearing his answer. Hermione, however, looked sad. She'd probably already read a million books on Gotham City. She would be the only one with any idea how terrible it was.

"Um, most of the people are corrupt. Selling drugs. Buying drugs. Rich people selling arms to other countries. Politicians in one of the different mob's pockets. A lot of people are framed and sent to jail. Orphans are sent to juvie if there's no foster home open," he explained, scowling at the last bit.

Everyone looked appropriately horrified. Ginny, looking quite shy for once, asked: "Did any of that ever happen to you?"

Dick shifted in his seat and stood up. "I'm gonna go get dressed."

He left the room and the unanswered question behind him.

* * *

_August 9th_

When Harry arrived back, smiling and telling everyone that he got off. Dick was lurking in the shadows. He wasn't exactly keen to see everyone. He'd been pretty good at avoiding them so far _and_ avoiding having to answer Ginny's question from earlier.

Then something strange happened. Harry clapped a hand to his forehead over his scar. Now, Dick wasn't gonna fault him for having a scar ache. They did that occasionally. But the way Hermione and Ron looked unsurprised was a little alarming. Almost like it was common. There _had_ to be more to it than he was seeing.

No one else seemed to notice Harry's brief pain, all too busy grabbing food and such. Then Mrs. Weasley yelled and the moment was gone.

After dinner, Dick went up to the room with Harry and Ron. Hermione followed them, and judging by the looks they were giving each other, they were planning to talk about something they didn't want the other adults to hear.

Dick entered the room just long enough to grab his pyjamas from earlier. He left immediately after and changed into them in the bathroom. He left the room and bumped into Remus, literally.

"Dick, nice to see you," he said, and though he was smiling, there was something troubled in his eyes.

"You too," he said carefully, following Remus' gaze. And of course, the man was looking at the scar above his elbow.

"What happened?" Remus asked.

It wasn't like Dick could just tell him: 'Oh, the Joker decided that he wanted to learn knife throwing. He missed the board behind me and hit me'. That would probably be a bad idea. Besides, he doubted that wizards knew who the Joker was.

"A knife," Dick said sheepishly, adding a tilted grin. "I was holding one and tripped on my own feet. Then…" Dick gestured at his scar as if that explained the rest of the story.

Remus raised an eyebrow but nodded nonetheless. Something in his eyes was off though. Dick just couldn't figure out what.

* * *

_August 10th_

Dick woke up to someone shaking him, hard. He raised his arms groggily and pushed someone away. Obviously, the lack of sleep the night before was affecting him majorly.

"What is it?" he asked, voice heavy.

"Dick?" he heard a voice ask, sounding unsure.

"What?" he asked again, sitting up and rubbing his eyes ferociously.

"There's something wrong with your voice," Harry said anxiously. Huh, that was who was talking to him. Harry.

"What's wrong with my voice?"

"You sound kinda like Krum," Harry said, sounding amused.

"I have no clue who Krum is. And there's nothing wrong with my-" he froze. What was wrong with his voice!? It was all… he sounded like he had when he was first learning English.

Dick shook his head and tried talking again. "Is it better now?"

And that answered that question. What the heck was wrong with him? Why couldn't he talk like he normally did? Was he just tired? But no, he was wide awake now. The few times his accent was noticeable, it was when he was really tired. While that was true for the first few things he'd said, he was awake enough now that it shouldn't have been noticeable.

"What the heck is wrong with me?" he asked.

Harry shook his head, looking caught somewhere between amused and annoyed for his sake. "I don't know. We should ask Mrs. Weasley or Sirius if they can fix it."

"Definitely," he agreed. "I don't want to have my accent showing the whole time I'm talking."

Dick wasn't embarrassed by his accent. In fact, he quite liked it. But it was just habit to speak with an American one, and by this point, even when he did let his accent through, it hadn't been this strong since he was nine.

"Come on, let's go see if anyone's in the kitchen," Harry suggested.

Dick stood up and followed him downstairs. His hair was sticking straight up, and personally, Dick didn't think either he or Harry had ever looked more similar than right now.

"Hey, Dick needs help," Harry announced to everyone in the kitchen when they arrived.

Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were eating food. Mrs. Weasley was serving up another place and Sirius sat waiting for it. The twins weren't anywhere to be seen. Dick was automatically suspicious.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Weasley asked. She looked worried.

"Dick, well, Dick… you know what, I'll let him explain," Harry said.

Dick glowered at the teen. "Something's up with my accent. It's not normally this strong."

Ron gaped at Dick in a comical way. Everyone else was looking at him funny. Dick sighed deeply.

"Well, we better see what we can do about it then," Mrs. Weasley said, shaking her head. "I'm sure the twins are responsible for this somehow."

"Where's the accent from, by the way?" Harry asked.

"It's not from a country," Dick told Harry. "My first language was Romani. It's mostly spoken among the Roma People, so not from a specific country. My accent was kinda like this until I learned English properly when I was nine."

Everyone looked quite interested, especially Hermione, and she started asking a million questions. Dick answered every question. It was kinda nice to talk about it. Refreshing. And it didn't take long for Mrs. Weasley to fix him and yell at the twins for messing with him.


	12. Remus Gets Suspicious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is definitely a lot shorter than normal, and I'm really sorry about that. There was a major family emergency, so I wasn't able to add a more. Hopefully, this is still pretty good.
> 
> Any feedback would really be appreciated. Also, I'm looking for anything you guys want to see in future chapters. Any and all recommendations and ideas are welcome. Thanks so much, guys!

_August 13th_

"So, Birdboy, what are you up to today?" Zatanna asked.

Dick looked up from his book. Any excuse to stop studying proper pronunciation on spells was a good excuse. Especially now.

"I have this thing with the Team later. Some class on espionage, I think. I think it'll be good, but I swear I already know all about it! I don't think I should have to take it, but it's required, so…" Dick shrugged.

"Ahhh," Zatanna agreed. "I got it. Man, you're so lucky. I wish I got to be on the Team. But my dad," she sighed. "He's just so, so, overprotective."

Dick laughed. "Trust me, B is overprotective, he's just good at hiding it. I think if he had a choice, I wouldn't even be doing the hero gig."

"Why are you doing the hero thing anyway?" Zatanna asked. "I mean, no offence, but Batman isn't your dad, obviously."

"That would be James Potter," Dick muttered. Louder, he said: "It's a long story. Let's just say the opportunity _fell_ into my arms."

He looked back at Zatanna, who was gaping.

"Your dad was James Potter?" she asked incredulously.

"Biological dad, but yeah," Dick said slowly. "Why? Didn't I mention that before?"

Zatanna shook her head. "Robin, James Potter is the father of Harry Potter. Every magical person knows who _Harry Potter_ is. He stopped Voldemort and he was there when Voldemort rose again!"

Dick shrugged. "I guess? So you believe him then?"

"Why would he lie?" Zatanna asked. "He's not asking for anything to tell his story. He's not making money. He doesn't get anything out of lying. Plus, Dumbledore is an ally of the League and he told them the whole story. My dad trusts Dumbledore. Most people do. It's only because the British Ministry of Magic is keeping it quiet that there aren't more people supporting. That smear campaign the Daily Prophet runs doesn't help matters either."

Dick raised an eyebrow. Zatanna was certainly passionate about it, that was sure. Dick didn't think he'd seen anyone so sure of it since Harry or Hermione themselves. It was good to know that even people in America, people who knew about magic, that was, could still get the real story. Even if Dick still didn't exactly know the real story. Harry was still trying to protect his younger brother's _innocence_.

"You've heard of the Daily Prophet? I thought that was a British magical newspaper?" he asked, instead of voicing his other thoughts.

"Well, yeah, of course. Voldemort wasn't exactly a threat in America, but people were worried about him coming over here, so it wasn't that strange for the Daily Prophet to be sold here so people could keep up. After he disappeared people kept ordering it, so the Daily Prophet just sends a couple hundred issues to a distributor who delivers it to everyone who's subscribed," Zatanna explained.

"Maybe I should subscribe to it?" Dick said thoughtfully.

Zatanna nodded. "That's probably a good idea. Though you've been going back and forth between here and Britain, right?"

"Yeah," Dick said. "Why?"

"I don't think the newspaper will want to switch continents based on where you are," she teased.

Dick smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "You're probably right. I'll just have it delivered to home so that when I'm here I can keep up. I'm sure B'll be interested in them if I'm not there."

"He is Batman," Zatanna agreed. "Isn't it pretty much in his job description to know everything?"

"It is," Dick agreed.

They continued chatting for a few minutes until Zatara arrived and berated them for losing focus on their schooling. They quickly went back to their books and pronunciation guides.

* * *

_August 14th_

Dick wasn't expecting Remus to be there when he got back. He was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to be going back until the fifteenth anyway. So again, he wasn't expecting Remus.

He was sure he was a mess. Sweaty and gross from the Team's little 'quest'. He definitely didn't look nice or tidy. In fact, Dick was pretty sure he looked unapproachable. He felt unapproachable. He just dealt with a few murders and finding a culprit. He didn't feel like dealing with magic stuff. Especially since Bruce was still up in the Watchtower.

He looked at Remus warily. "I thought I didn't have to go back until tomorrow."

"You don't," Remus confirmed. He had a strange look on his face. "I needed to talk to you."

Dick closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. What is it you want to ask me?"

Remus took a step closer to him and cocked his head before taking a deep breath. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was smelling something. What it was though, Dick didn't know. Probably something his senses couldn't pick up. Remus was, after all, a werewolf, as he'd learned. He probably had an enhanced sense of smell even when he wasn't affected by the full moon.

"You smell like death," Remus said, ignoring Dick's question. "What happened. Are you okay? Did Death Eaters come after you?"

Dick shook his head. "No. It's a… it's a long story." And one he wasn't feeling like rehashing at the moment, thank you very much.

Remus took a step back. He was looking at Dick curiously. Dick wasn't sure he liked the look. Remus was smart. Almost too smart. And with his enhanced senses, it was that much harder to keep things secret from him. Like being near dead bodies.

"Dick, what happened?" Remus pressed. His eyes were wide and his eyes kept flickering to Dick's arm where the scar Remus had seen a few days earlier was.

" _Nothing_ ," Dick stressed. "Stop worrying so much. You sound like-"

Dick cut himself off and clamped his mouth shut, but the damage was already done. Remus knew what he'd been about to say and he knew what he'd been about to say. You sound like my dad.

Obviously, Dick was thinking of John Grayson when he almost said that, but he had the feeling Remus' first thought went to James Potter because Remus froze.

"Dick, you're lying," Remus said. His voice was steady and he sounded sure of himself.

Dick turned away from Remus and crossed his arms.

"What makes you so sure of that?" he asked. He knew what his tells were, but acting dumb helped in situations like this where he couldn't give too much away.

"I think you know. You're smarter than you give away," Remus said. "I just don't know why you're hiding so much about yourself. Look at this house. That scar on your arm. I don't know why though."

Dick shifted into a different stance. Fight or flight, literally.

"I think you're reading too much into everything," Dick said. "And what I don't want to share is my business."

"Not when you're in danger. Not when you could be working with You-Know-Who," Remus said.

"I'm thirteen," Dick deadpanned.

"Yes," Remus agreed. "You are. But that doesn't mean you're too young to betray anyone."

"I wouldn't do that," Dick argued weakly. That Remus could suggest that, it was horrifying. Betraying family, friends. Dick would never. Could never. Not without killing himself.

"I believe you," Remus said easily. "But you are smarter than you give away. You've seen something that makes you lose faith in some of humanity, yet you still believe in helping others." Remus took a deep breath. "How you act though, it's suspicious. No one's said anything yet, but not everyone thinks you're as innocent as you act. Even I don't think you are."

Dick scoffed and walked around Remus. "What do you want me to do? Go and tell everyone my dark life story. No thanks."

"I don't pretend to know anything about you," Remus said. He was following Dick to the kitchen. "Or at least not anything personal. I'm not asking you to share that. Just… give people an explanation for how you act. Why you like being here so much more."

Dick entered the kitchen and opened the fridge. "I guess. It's not like the whole world doesn't already know anyway," he muttered, grabbing a leftover bowl soup and moving towards the microwave.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked.

Dick hesitated, put the bowl in the microwave and pressed a few buttons to start it.

"Bruce, the man I live with, he's not my dad. He is rich, obviously, so people pay attention to him. I started living with him a few years ago, so people paid attention to me too, and why I lived with him. Basically, everyone in the muggle world, at least in Gotham, knows who I am and what happened to me."

Remus nodded understandingly and gestured for him to continue.

"It… it won't explain everything I do. Most of it is just habit. But it might help some people understand why I'm so closed off. That's what people want to know, yeah?" he asked.

Remus nodded. "Yes."

"I've already kinda told Sirius, so I guess I can tell everyone else. I just… they can't treat me differently," Dick demanded. "I won't let them."

"That seems fair," Remus agreed.

The microwave beeped. Dick opened it and took out the bowl of soup before plopping a spoon in.

"I'll leave you alone now," Remus said, turning to leave or apparate, Dick wasn't sure which.

"Someone did die, by the way," Dick said quickly. "It was this guy, no one I knew. It was all really quick and I couldn't do anything to save him. He wasn't… he was bad. He was shooting a gun and the bullet ricocheted and killed him."

Dick didn't mention the other deaths. That wouldn't help anything. At least this excuse made a little sense. After all, there were plenty of random shootings and crime in America and he lived in Gotham. If anyone did look it up, Dick could pretty much guarantee there would be a death matching that description he might have been near or witnessed.

"I believe you, Dick," Remus said softly.

At least he knew he was able to lie to the guy with enhanced senses. Dick still wasn't sure why he had them though. He made a mental note to ask Harry later.

Remus walked into the hallway and disappeared with a sharp crack.

* * *

_August 14th_

_My place. Ten minutes. Don't try to get out of it, Boy Wonder._

Roy's text was sharp, abrasive, and so staggeringly Roy that it was a breath of fresh air. It wasn't hard to guess that Wally must have spilt something to Roy when he went there a few days ago. What, Dick wasn't sure. Obviously something though, otherwise Roy wouldn't have contacted him. They were friends and knew each other's secrets id's, but the age difference made it hard to connect at the best of times.

_Sure. Wally?_

The phone showed the text being typed for a few moments before it pinged.

_Kid Mouth can't keep his mouth shut. Plus I hear B's busy right now._

Dick smiled at the screen crookedly.

_Yeah, he is._

Out loud he said: "Hey, Alfred? I'm heading over to Roy's place. Tell Bruce when he gets back."

The butler turned from his spot dusting bookshelves and raised an eyebrow.

"Master Wallace, I assume?" he asked.

Dick rubbed the back of his neck. "Was it that obvious?"

Alfred smiled slightly. "While he is your friend and a truly loyal person, he also has yet to learn the art of being quiet. That much is obvious when he eats."

Dick laughed. It was the only thing Alfred didn't like about Wally; how he couldn't keep his mouth shut, even when he was eating.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Dick stood up and stretched his arms behind him before he started to leave the library. "I'll be back in time for dinner, Alfred."

"I should hope so, Master Dick," Alfred replied, already dusting again.

Dick made his way through the hallways and into Bruce's study, quickly punching in the right code and slipping behind the grandfather clock. The stairs were slick and always and dark too.

In no time at all, he was standing in front of the zeta beam. Quickly, Dick punched in the code for Star City. The zeta beam's light covered him and he felt himself move through space. Ugh, not fun, in his opinion.

He walked out of an ugly bus stop hidden in an alley. Roy, not being the billionaire Oliver was, didn't have a zeta beam connected to a base, even though Dick was sure if he asked, Oliver would have been more than happy to provide a base. Roy, however, being stubborn like he was, refused help. Even paid for his own apartment with a job and got student loans for his first year of college.

Dick figured he'd probably do the same thing come college, but he would definitely ask Bruce for help setting up a base near wherever he ended up living, otherwise, it would be a _tad_ out of his price range.

Dick exited the alley and turned left. Roy didn't live more than five minutes from this particular zeta beam, which meant Dick would arrive exactly at the ten-minute mark from Roy's first text.

In no time at all, Dick saw the dingy apartment building Roy was staying in. He entered and climbed the three flights of stairs at a record speed, and just as he raised his fist to knock on Roy's door, it swung open, revealing the red-headed archer himself.

"Birdbrain," Roy greeted. "Come on in."

Dick walked past Roy. The door closed behind him. Overall, Roy's apartment wasn't bad, especially for a college kid. It could have been worse for sure. It wasn't the pinnacle of comfort though, it was still just a college apartment.

"Want some soda or something?" Roy asked. "Or maybe a pizza? I'm ordering some."

"I'm good," Dick said. "What did Wally let slip?"

Roy shrugged. "Nothing much. Just that you've been going through something and spending a lot of time in London? He was also grumbling about magic, but he always does that. He also had to come over in the middle of the night because you had to leave suddenly for some sort of emergency."

"Pretty much," Dick agreed. "It was… just promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

Roy snorted. Loudly. "Who am I going to tell your deep dark secret to? Ollie? Yeah, _no_."

"So you know my parents? It turns out they adopted me," Dick said glumly. Roy gaped. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction. What's more, my biological parents didn't actually give me up; my biological aunt was babysitting and left me on the steps of an orphanage because of some stupid rivalry. Anyway, parents were murdered while I was being babysat, so they never knew. Then there's a whole magic thing and it's kinda a long story."

Dick knew he sounded hysterical. Heck, he felt hysterical. Even after all this time, it still hadn't stopped being life-changing. He was probably still processing, and not in the most healthy way.

Roy slumped onto his couch and buried his face in his hands. "Your life is a soap opera, Grayson," he muttered.

Dick laughed and sat down next to him. "Tell me about it. I've been living it. Going back and forth to meet my older brother. Oh yeah, I have an older brother," Dick added at Roy's wonderstruck look.

"Dude, I don't even know," Roy said. "At the moment your life might be more annoying than mine."

"Might?" Dick asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Well, I have to live with Ollie," Roy smirked.

"Point, you," Dick admitted, though he didn't think Oliver was that bad. Roy was just Roy.

"Sure, sure, don't believe me," Roy grumbled.

"Okay, I'll do that."

"Brat," Roy said fondly, ruffling his hair.

"Idiot," Dick threw back, leaning into the touch.

* * *

_August 15th_

"Hello, Dick," Hermione greeted him cheerily. "How are you?"

Dick leaned away from where she'd suddenly invaded his personal space. "Hi, Hermione. I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm good," Hermione said happily. "I made prefect. So did Ron."

"Prefect?" Dick asked.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you don't go to Hogwarts," Hermione apologized. "A prefect is sort of like a teachers assistant. They patrol after curfew and help students."

Dick nodded. That made sense. It wasn't that different from a hallway monitor.

"Did Harry get anything like that?" he asked.

Hermione's lips pinched together into a thin line and she shook her head. "No. I think he's disappointed he didn't get it, but he's trying not to be, for Ron's sake."

"Ron's sake?" Dick asked.

"There are four Hogwarts houses. I'm assuming you know that?" At Dick's nod, she continued. "Each house get two new prefects from fifth year from each house, a boy and a girl. Harry, Ron, and I are all Gryffindor, so that means that since Ron became the Gryffindor prefect Harry can't become a prefect."

"That makes sense. And it makes sense that Harry's not the prefect. He's already done lots of stuff to help everyone and the school. Ron, while I'm sure he's helped a lot, hasn't really had a chance to stand in the spotlight. I'm sure he deserves it," Dick reasoned.

"I suppose you're right," Hermione agreed.


	13. Secrets in the Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the thirteenth chapter! It's actually pretty short, but the next chapter is going to be very long. I've already started it, and it may end up as the longest chapter, so I figured I'd stop this one here. Also, I have a major confession; I know exactly how I want to end the story, but I need a little help with the plot. What would you guys like to see happening? This story will go through to the end of the fifth book, FYI.
> 
> Also, I've had some concern about the Team not appearing very often, but they'll start to appear more after summer is over. Nothing will end up diverging too much from canon, but there will be changes, with one very big one from Young Justice canon and a few from Harry Potter canon, hopefully, they're different though.
> 
> What are your opinions on Dick in this chapter? I tried to keep him in character, but I'm really scared that I didn't do very well, especially with him discussing something. It needed to happen, but do you think the reason given was good enough? I'd love to discuss, so if anyone wants to, feel free to PM me.
> 
> Also, feedback on what you think I did right or wrong would be really appreciated, but no flames! :)
> 
> Thanks for reading and sticking with me this long!

_August 15th_

He was alone in the room he shared with Ron and Harry. No one else was there, and that was nice. Remus had been giving him meaningful looks all day, waiting for Dick to share. He knew he'd promised the man, but he didn't like feeling pushed. It didn't seem to matter to Remus though, and so Dick found himself waiting for everyone to inevitably gather in the room as soon as the Order meeting started. He could explain then. He would explain then.

It didn't matter that he didn't want to. It was a matter of needing to. People, as Remus had informed him, were starting to get worried about him. Not to the point of thinking he was working for Voldemort or anything, but his secretive attitude would eventually cause that.

That wasn't fair, in his opinion. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't a normal kid anymore. He was a happy person, or as happy as he could be now. And it wasn't just Robin that caused it, his lost innocence. It was life. His parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin died in front of him. Being shoved in juvie because of his ethnicity, or his parent's ethnicity, he supposed.

All of that made him a secretive person. He _hated_ the pity people gave him when he explained everything. The careful way they'd talk around him like they were worried their words would break him. It was all horrible. He hated it. Sometimes it made him actually prefer the high society of Gotham.

Sure, they hated him and their pity was faked, but that was exactly it. _Faked_. It was refreshing. By now though, even the people in Gotham who'd actually pitied him didn't really care anymore. It had been over five years, and that was a long time.

Dick almost couldn't help but wonder if it might be easier if he just left. Stopped with all this magic stuff. Stopped caring about Voldemort and the war they were fighting. It would be easier. He'd be happier. Less filled with doubt about himself. But it was like Bruce told him all the time; 'You either die as a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.'. Not exactly fitting for the situation, but it got the meaning across.

Suddenly Dick shook his head and pinched his wrist hard. He needed to stop this train of thought. It wasn't harmful exactly, but it wasn't helpful either. He needed to find a way to start the conversation without it being weird. They already knew that his family was dead. Now, how to bring up the circumstances surrounding it and what happened after?

He could just say it all. Or he could just find a way to get someone to ask why he was so secretive. He could wait until Remus actually made him. The man had already told Dick that he could just tell the younger people first. He would wait to tell the order until they either demanded it or until he decided to. That, he at least had some control over. He wanted to keep that under what little control he had.

Time passed for Dick while he was in an almost trance-like state. It wasn't exactly like that. He wasn't unaware or anything, he was just distracted. All the thoughts he'd kept quiet, the things he wanted to share with his new friends, were racing through his head. He'd probably held off telling them too long. It was just… he didn't get to meet many people who didn't already know everything about him. Maybe he'd relished it too much, being normal, or as normal as he could be, considering.

In what felt like no time, the room began to fill up. Out of the corner of his eye, Dick saw Ron give him a strange look, but he went back to conversing with Ginny and Harry after a moment. In a few minutes, Hermione joined them. Then the telltale cracks announcing Fred and George's appearance.

"So, do we have any idea what this meeting is about?" Fred asked the room. "Because they've been especially tight-lipped about it. More than others, I mean."

"Maybe it has something to do with the weapon they said they were protecting from Voldemort?" Harry suggested, sounding unsure.

Dick turned towards his biological brother because he couldn't think of him as a brother just yet. That was certainly news to him, and to Ginny, it seemed.

"What weapon?" she asked, frowning.

"We're not sure," Hermione admitted. "All we know is that there is one and we're not allowed to know anything about it."

Ginny was still frowning. "Why didn't you guys tell Dick and I earlier? We would have liked to know about that."

George winced, along with Harry and Ron. Fred remained stoic and crossed his arms, although he did look apologetic.

"We figured that if mum caught wind you knew what they told us she'd skin us or something," George said. "And by the time we figured she wouldn't be testing to see what you knew, we forgot."

"About a weapon the bad guy is looking for?" Dick drawled, speaking for the first time in a few hours. His throat was dry.

Only Harry winced this time. His eyes practically begged for forgiveness. Dick would have felt guilty if he hadn't known that stuff was being hidden from him, and not by an adult. Adults were expected to try and protect him. He guessed that Harry must have still had the whole 'protective older brother' mentality.

"Sorry," Harry said quietly, looking at the floor.

"Whatever," Dick sighed. Quieter, he muttered: "Not like I'm not used to it."

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," Dick said. "And they're not talking about the weapon, at least not that I know of."

"What are they talking about?" Ron asked. "And how do _you_ know?"

"Something to do with the Justice League," Dick said. Ah, the advantage of being trusted by Bruce. He was told when Zatara was going to have a meeting with the Order. "They have one of their members, a magician, here." He ignored the second question.

"Wait, Americans _know_ about magic?" Fred asked incredulously. All of them had wide eyes, minus Harry and Hermione, who still lived in the Muggle world and had grown up in them.

"Depends on what you mean by 'know'," Dick said. "They know that some superheroes and supervillains have magic powers. They don't know about all the secret societies all over the world. Most of them think it's only a few people or think that they use tricks."

"Huh, who knew," George commented.

Harry and Hermione both raised their hands.

"And you never bothered sharing?" Ron asked, placing a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "I'm hurt. I mean, I'm your best friend."

"Sorry?" Harry apologized. "It's just hard to remember how disconnected the wizarding world is sometimes."

"They really should fix that," Ginny commented. "I'm not saying we tell everyone we're here, but we should know what goes on in the world. And some muggle things seem handy, like phones."

"They are handy," Dick said. He was offended that they could just seem handy. Then again, if he hadn't ever lived with Bruce he might never have known that much about electronics or phones. "And easier to use than a fireplace when you're in the middle of nowhere."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Harry commented.

"I've had my fair share of mishaps getting lost in the woods." Or more accurately getting stranded in the woods on a mission or after a failed kidnapping attempt. Though there was that one time… "When I was about seven I got lost in the woods with my older cousin, John. He had a flip phone, and that saved us from a cold night, at least."

"How did that happen?" Ginny asked. "Getting lost I mean."

Dick scratched the back of his neck. "It's kind of a long story, but basically he and I decided to go exploring in the middle of a forest in Russia."

"Russia!" Hermione exclaimed. "You've been to Russia? That's fascinating! Did you see any landmarks?"

"Not really," Dick said sheepishly. "We were working. John and I actually got in trouble for causing so much trouble though."

"I never did ask, what did your parents do?" Hermione asked.

Dick laughed, though there was no humour. "They were trapeze artists. My aunt and uncle too, and my cousin, John. I had just started appearing in shows."

Hermione blinked, but Fred and George grinned widely.

"They swung around in the air?" Fred asked though it wasn't really a question.

"Wicked," George finished.

"That's pretty cool. Do your aunt and uncle still do it then?" Harry asked.

Dick shifted feet a bit. "No. They're um, they're dead too."

Hermione's hand went to her mouth. "Oh my, that's terrible! What happened?"

Dick shrugged. It was now or never. "They were trapeze artists, all of them. We all worked this show together, and when I was about to jump on with everyone the wires snapped and they fell."

The room fell into a shocked silence. Dick purposely avoided looking at any of them. He really didn't want their pity.

"How old were you?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Eight-ish," Dick said. "They, um, we worked in the circus. This one guy came and threatened us, tried to extort money. No one actually thought he'd follow through on his threat."

He let the implications hang, still looking at his fingernails with more interest than was warranted.

"Oh my goodness. I don't…" Hermione stopped, voice trailing away.

Dick shrugged again. "It was a long time ago. It's not… I don't know. It's not a big deal."

"They were your parents," Ginny said softly. "That's horrible."

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore," he said, lying through his teeth.

"Richard Grayson!" Hermione exclaimed suddenly. Dick looked at her curiously and saw everyone else doing the same out of the corner of his eyes.

She blushed. "Sorry, I just realized I know who you are. Richard Grayson, ward of Bruce Wayne."

Harry's eyes widened, but Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George merely looked confused.

"Who's Bruce Wayne?" Ron asked.

"He's the owner of Wayne Industries. It's one of the biggest companies in the world, and it deals in nearly everything. Bruce Wayne is the second richest man in the world," Hermione said. "He adopted his ward, Dick Grayson after the kid's parents were murdered and he was sent to a juvenile detention facility."

Dick winced. There went the little bit of control he had over the situation. Everyone was staring at him now.

"What's a 'juvenile detention facility'?" Fred asked.

"Yeah, it's not a…" George trailed off, but his meaning was clear.

"It's basically a jail for kids who break the law," Dick said slowly. It seemed that even though Harry knew who Bruce Wayne was, he didn't know as much as Hermione, because he'd been truly shocked by the news of Dick's stay at juvie.

"What did you do?" Ginny asked quietly.

"The news never actually said," Hermione said dutifully, looking at Dick curiously.

"I saw my parents die," Dick said bitterly. "The social worker, she didn't like me. She thought that since I'm Roma that it meant I would start stealing stuff or something. The foster homes were full too, so there wasn't anywhere else they could put me."

"That's horrible," Harry said softly. "And you were eight? How could anyone do that?"

"I don't know, hate or whatever. I was only there for, like, two months, so it's not like it was a big deal." Dick almost snorted, but he had the feeling that wouldn't be appropriate. Here he was, trying to sell short his time as a ward of the state to his older brother. Neither of them could stop lying or hiding stuff to protect the other.

They were all silent for a moment.

"Why did you tell us?" Ginny asked. "Not that I'm mad or anything, but this seems random."

Dick did snort here. "Remus told me I had to. I was told by him that being so secretive wasn't making me look good to anyone, and it was only a matter of time before people started thinking I was working with Voldemort or something."

"You're thirteen," Ron deadpanned.

"And they're being cautious. I would be too. Just trusting me because I'm a kid would be a major mistake on their part," he said. "Especially with all the danger right now."

They looked more than a little disturbed by his answer, but it was the truth. Dick was trying so hard to not have to hide everything, and one freeing thing about them know what happened to him and his family was that it gave him a good reason to be suspicious and serious. Hopefully.

"He didn't think I was working for Voldemort, to be clear. He just didn't want my secrets making everyone think I was. And it's not that I didn't want to share or anything, I just don't like to. People are always… you know, when they know who I am."

"You didn't have to worry about that with us, Dick," Harry said sincerely.

"I'm not trying to be rude or anything, but I've known all of you for less than a month. I don't like talking about this with my friends, and you guys are friends, but I have close friends I've known for years, and I don't talk about this with them. I just did because Remus said, so can we leave it alone now? Talk about Zatara or something?" he asked, slightly desperate.

He'd shared, it was over and done with. He hadn't wanted to, and even though it was nice to share, that didn't mean he wanted to keep talking about it. He was probably a little callous, but he didn't really care.

Thankfully, they left it alone.

* * *

_August 16th_

Ever since he'd shared last night, Dick felt like everyone was walking on tiptoes around him. It was exhausting and frustrating and a bunch of other words ending in ing. He was just sick of it.

That was when he made what was probably a stupid decision. He grabbed his phone, texted Wally, and left the building.

Dick wasn't an idiot. He knew that he shouldn't leave. He knew it could be dangerous. He knew that it wasn't a good decision. But he just hated feeling different like that. Hated being pitied and treated like a traumatized child. He'd had to do it, he knew that too. But that just made it worse.

So yeah, he left Grimmauld Place and asked Wally to run to London. They could hang out together or something. He just needed a break, a real one. Not going on missions as Robin or anything. And he felt guilty. He hadn't been spending as much time with the Team as he should have been, mostly because of everything going on in his personal life.

It was a good idea, to invite them all to hang out together in London for a couple of hours. They could just walk around, maybe ride the London Eye. That would be fun.

Wally texted back just as Dick reached the street corner.

_Dude, it's 7 am on a Saturday. Why?!_

_Team bonding_ , Dick texted back. _Wanna invite them all to meet me in London? There's a zeta beam near Big Ben. I'll meet you guys there in an hour._

_Sure, dude. Does this random hanging out have anything to do with your brother?_

Dick grimaced. Wally could read him so well, even over text.

_Yeah. I told him and the other teens about my family yesterday. Remus said I should, or eventually, they might think I'm working for Voldemort or something by not talking about it._

_It had to happen eventually_ , Wally reasoned over text. _At least it was you and not a newspaper or anything._

Dick snorted.

_I suppose you're right, and I should be used to people knowing. It was nice not having to wonder if how they treat me was affected by that, even for a few weeks._

_You need to talk, I'm there._

_I'm good. See you guys soon! It'll be asterous! :)_

_Okay. See you soon, bro._


	14. London Eye & Hot Chocolate Confessions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got the next chapter out! It's looking pretty good I think. It didn't end up as long as I expected, but only because I put the other stuff I'd written to be part of next chapter. I'd love to hear what you guys think! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Also, big thanks to zovinar for their help with some plotting and helping me clean up my mess of a storyline.
> 
> Also, I don’t know a ton about the London Eye, so everything in this chapter about it is just based on research and some google searches.

_August 16th_

Walking through London was nice. He didn't have to worry about a mission to save the Queen from being assassinated or worry about being swarmed with the press and asked about Bruce's latest 'girlfriend'. Here, without his hair gelled back, in plain jeans and a hoodie, wearing dark sunglasses, he was just another face in the crowd. Just another person enjoying the warmth and sunny weather.

No one looked twice at him wearing sunglasses as they did in Gotham when he was trying to stay hidden there. In Gotham, wearing sunglasses was pretty uncommon since there was never any sun. Here, almost everyone was wearing a stylish pair as they walked down the cobbled streets.

He had a while before he had to get to Big Ben too. About thirty minutes. Luckily, he was at most, a ten-minute walk away now. He also had a credit card and an emergency stash of cash on him, but he had a feeling he wouldn't need them until he bought tickets to ride the London Eye. Then again, if he hurried there and got the tickets early, then he and the others could just go on without having to wait in line. It wasn't like he had anything important to do while waiting for them.

The walk to the London Eye was quick, only about eight minutes. The line, however, was long. Very long. _Super_ long. Dick sighed deeply and got in line. It moved slowly, but not super slowly. He figured he'd have the tickets and be by Big Ben probably a minute or so before the others arrived.

As the line moved slowly forward, Dick let himself get lost in thought. It was funny; here he was, in London, buying tickets to ride the London Eye. Considering everything he'd ever done and everywhere he'd ever been, it was pretty amazing that he'd never ridden the London Eye.

The last time he was in London, his parents had almost bought tickets to ride it, but in the end, they hadn't had enough pounds on them. Instead, they'd settled for some cheap ice cream and watching it circle. It was one of his strongest memories of his parents, besides the sight of them falling down. That would always be seared in his minds, especially when he realized they wouldn't be getting back up.

Pretty soon, he was at the front of the line.

"How many tickets would you like?" the clerk asked.

"Six, please," he said.

"That will be one-hundred fifty-one pounds," she said. "You're time slot to ride will be on them. Together, I'm assuming?"

Dick nodded and took out the money, passing it to her through the slot in the window.

She took the money and carefully counted it before placing it in a cash register. Even though it didn't seem obvious, he could tell she'd expected him to flounder when faced with counting out pounds. Ah, the advantage of having an American accent, faked or not.

What she didn't know was that he'd pretty much grown up using pounds, euros, Russian rubles, Swedish krona, and countless others. If anything, he was more likely to make a mistake handling American dollars than anything else. He hadn't exactly had his parents around to teach him on his first American tour.

Still, even though she'd expected him to make a mistake, she hadn't said anything, only thought it, so Dick wasn't going to hold it against her.

"Here they are," she said, pushing the tickets through the slot. "Your time slot is at six, okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," he said, nodding. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said. "Next!" he heard her call as he started to walk towards Big Ben, placing the tickets deep in his pocket.

He spared a moment to hope Bruce wouldn't be too mad at him for spending most of his emergency cash, before looking for Wally's red hair.

Wally wasn't very hard to spot. He found his carrot top pretty easily through the crowd. Wally saw him at the same time and ran at a slightly faster than human speed to meet him. Following behind Wally at a normal pace was the Team.

"Bro!" Wally exclaimed loudly, throwing an arm around him. Dick pushed his friend off, laughing.

"Hey, Wally. How was the zeta here?"

"It sucked," Artemis rasped. "I was sleeping and suddenly I got a call from Kid Doofus over there that we needed to head to London. I only have so long to sleep in before school starts."

Dick shrugged and grinned at her and the other unrepentantly.

"It's one here," he said. "Sorry about that though. I've been in London since yesterday and I got bored."

"Why are you in London, Robin?" M'gann asked. "Is this a mission?"

"Nah." Dick shook his head. "I'm here visiting some… friends, I suppose. There's not much for me to do though, so I figured I'd sneak out."

"Then what are we planning to do, Robin?" Kaldur asked seriously.

"Who knows what Rob's got planned for us," Wally said excitedly. "I bet it's cool though."

While everyone was looking at Wally, who was spinning around, Dick saw his friend wink and mouth something quickly: 'Talk to me if you need to.'

"So?" Superboy asked. Hm, they'd have to come up with a name to call him while they were in public.

"What are we going to call you?" Robin asked out loud absently.

"Superboy," Superboy deadpanned. "What else would you call me?"

"Well, you see," Wally began, only to be interrupted by Artemis, literally. She elbowed him.

"You need a secret ID," she said. Wally glared at her and rubbed his side. DDick would bet his allowance, a substantial amount, that they'd end up dating at some point before the year was up.

"I don't see why." Superboy shrugged. "You don't have one," he added.

Wally guffawed.

"He's got a point, Arty," he said, wiping fake tears from his eyes.

"My name is my code name," she growled, looking like she'd very much enjoy tearing Wally's throat out with her hypothetical claws. "The point is if we call you what we usually do, people are going to connect you to Superboy."

"I am Superboy," he said blankly. "Robin doesn't use a different name."

"That's because Robin can work as a normal name," he explained.

"Then why can Superboy?"

"I believe it is more what about what people are used to than anything else," Kaldur explained slowly. "They are more likely to notice you if you use your regular name choice. However, if you choose something more likely to blend in, you will not be noticed."

"I suppose that makes sense," Superboy said reluctantly. "Then what should I be called?"

"How about Conner," M'gann said quickly, then blushed. "It's a good name."

Superboy shrugged, clearly indifferent.

"Well then, Conner it is," Wally said brightly. "Now, what do you have planned for us, Rob?"

Dick smirked and gestured towards the London Eye.

"I got us tickets to ride it at six."

Artemis finally seemed to wake up fully, looking first at the London Eye, then him, then the London Eye again. The others simply stared at it.

"How much did that even cost?" Artemis asked.

"Not too much," Dick fibbed, well aware of just how guilty she would be if he told her how much he'd spent. How she'd ask to pay him back.

"I'm so excited," M'gann squealed. "I've heard about the London Eye, but I never thought I'd ride it."

"It will be quite enjoyable," Kaldur agreed.

"Definitely, bro," Wally said. "You know, just as long as it doesn't explode or anything."

Everyone turned to stare at him.

"What?" Wally defended. "I know all about the science behind these types of things. Some of them have some crazy shoddy workmanship."

"It's been running for years, Wall-man," Artemis drawled. "I think we'll be okay."

"You're just jealous I know that," Wally said.

Judging by Artemis' face, Dick wouldn't agree with that assessment. Maybe furious Wally was so annoying. Definitely over being near him. Despite Wally being his best friend, Dick knew that feeling well.

"It'll be okay," he said, patting Artemis' shoulder, consoling her. "You get used to him after a few years."

"And I thought I was your best friend, you _dick_ ," Wally said smugly, holding a hand over his heart.

Dick narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses.

"I can jump higher than that," Superboy said, in the tense silence, seemingly unaware. "Why would we ride it if we can all go higher easily?"

Dick sighed and moved closer to Superboy, giving up on trying to make Wally feel guilty. Besides, he wasn't even sure that was an emotion his friend could have.

"It's not about the destination, it's about the journey," Dick said sagely. "Obviously you can jump higher; you're _Superboy_. But it's fun. Just have fun and don't think about the practical applications."

"Says the bat-brat," Artemis snorted. Dick spared a moment to glare at her lightheartedly.

"Does that make sense, dude?" he asked.

Superboy shrugged.

"I suppose," he acquiesced.

They all took another few moments to stare at the London Eye. It was still spinning. Man, Dick couldn't wait to ride it with his friends. Suddenly, he felt a stab of loneliness. Only Wally knew who he really was. Barbara and Roy did too, he supposed. Just, some of his best friends in the world, despite only having known a few of them for two months or even just a month, didn't know who he really was. He couldn't share it with them.

Well, Bruce said he couldn't share it with them. That didn't mean he had to listen. But, even though he considered all of them some of his best friends, he was going to wait on identity until he'd known all of them for at least six months. That was just common sense, or an okay amount a paranoia. It was hard to tell the difference after living with Bruce.

Well, okay, he'd known Aqualad for more than six months, but he could wait to give his name to him until he inevitably told the others. That wouldn't be so hard.

"Robin?" M'gann asked gently, breaking through his thoughts. "Do you think we could walk by Buckingham Palace? I've heard so much about it, and I've always wanted to see it."

"Sure," he agreed, nodding. It seemed Kaldur was letting him take control today. It wasn't a mission though, so he supposed that made sense.

They spent the rest of the afternoon, or morning for them, he supposed, walking around, except for a brief stop in a tiny coffee shop to order some sandwiches and eat them. Wally ordered five, much to the shock of the wait staff, and finished all five of them, much to the shock of pretty much everyone other than the Team.

Dick paid for their impromptu dinner/lunch and led them back towards the London Eye. They took a different way back, leading them to see even more of the city than they already had.

"Well, here we are," he said when they finally arrived. "Should we go in?"

"Yes, let's," M'gann said, clapping her hands together.

They waited in the line, and when the time came, Dick handed in their tickets and led them into the capsule they shared with another group of teens. The other teens didn't seem that interested in them, so after a quick introduction, facilitated by Kaldur, they minded their own business.

"This is so exciting," M'gann whispered to Dick, practically floating she was so happy.

"It is pretty cool, Rob," Artemis admitted. "Thanks for taking us and inviting us."

"It was quite amazing," Kaldur agreed.

"Yeah, thanks, bro," Wally said, throwing an arm around his shoulders and leaning on him. Dick pushed him off.

"No problem, guys. What do you think… Conner?" Dick asked, hesitating over the name slightly. Superboy, however, didn't seem to mind the name M'gann had picked out for him.

"It's okay," he huffed, but he was smiling and his eyes were bright, so Dick was gonna put this in the win box. Of course, that was when everything went wrong.

The London Eye ground to a stop.

"What's going on!" one of the teens they were sharing with screeched.

"I don't know!" another screamed.

"Calm down, please," Kaldur demanded. "We must stay calm."

"How can we stay calm?" a boy asked harshly. "We're stuck on top of this death trap!"

"Then we will get you down," Kaldur said simply, nodding at them. "Let's wait to see what happens."

Dick and all the others read the double-meaning to his words. They were going to keep these teenagers calm until they figured out what was going on and work from there. Dick felt a familiar buzz as M'gann connected them to a mind-link.

" _Is everyone online?_ " she asked.

" _I'm here, sweet-cheeks,_ " Wally thought to them.

" _As am I._ "

" _Online,_ " Superboy growled. Dick had to wonder how a growl could translate across a mind-link.

" _You got me,_ " Artemis thought firmly. " _Boy wonder?_ "

" _I'm here,_ " Dick confirmed.

" _Good,_ " Kaldur thought, sounding relieved. " _M'gann, do your telepathic abilities reach to the ground? Can you find out what's going on?_ "

" _They extend that far. I'll see what I can find out. Give me a moment._ " M'gann put her hands on her forehead.

"What's she doing?" a girl asked worriedly. "Is she okay?"

"Megan is fine," Dick said easily, lie slipping from between his teeth as easily as if it was true. "She gets headaches when she's in a closed space too long. We didn't think we'd be stuck."

The girl nodded as if that made perfect sense.

" _Got anything?_ " Dick asked, keeping his eyes on the group of teenagers.

" _Yes,_ " M'gann thought. " _A man calling himself Yankee is attacking. He's American. Talking about revenge. I'm not sure of anything other than that he has a few guns. He's not very organized either._ "

" _Then we must find a way to stop him,_ " Kaldur thought. " _Otherwise he could hurt civilians._ "

" _But how are we gonna get away from those guys?_ " Wally asked, eyes rolling to the group of teens. " _We told them our first names, well, mostly. That's too much information._ "

" _Then we must get the London Eye started again and have it let everyone off,_ " Kaldur ordered. " _Robin, can you hack it from here?_ "

" _Can I hack it from here?_ " Robin snorted quietly. " _Of course I can. I'm going to use my phone though. I didn't exactly pack my holo-gauntlets for today's trip._ "

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and set to work quickly. It didn't take long to hack his way into the London Eye's computers controlling it. It took an even shorter amount of time to make it go again, stopping at each capsule to let people off.

Finally, their capsule reached the bottom. The teens with them took off running, and keeping up appearances, they followed, but in a different direction.

" _Robin, continue getting people off the London Eye. Kid, suit up and distract Yankee. M'gann, check to make sure no one is hurt with a scan and fly around to double-check all the capsules. Superboy, help Kid stop him. I will put out the fires starting from where Yankee shot one of his guns. Artemis, do you have your bow with?_ " Kaldur asked.

Artemis shook her head. " _No, but I have a mini crossbow. What do you want me to do?_ "

" _You know first aid?_ " At Artemis' nod, Kaldur continued. " _Then you will help anyone needing it. M'gann, send or bring anyone injured her way._ "

Everyone gave a verbal confirmation and set off to do their jobs. Wally had brought his uniform with, as had Superboy and Aqualad. M'gann was literally able to make her uniform appear. Robin and Artemis, being the only normal human, weren't lucky enough to have done so. Walking around in all that kevlar sucked.

Their jobs were just as important as all the others though, and that kept him from being too mad at being left out of the action. He continued making the London Eye circle, and a short five minutes later, heard M'gann say across the mind-link: " _Everyone's off the London Eye, Robin._ "

" _And Supey and I've got the bad guy apprehended and turned over to the police,_ " Wally thought smugly.

" _The fires are out as well._ "

" _I turned over everyone who was injured to emergency services a moment ago. No one had much worse than a few burns from the fires and some smoke inhalation._ "

" _I guess I can be done hacking it then,_ " Dick thought. " _Meet up by Big Ben?_ "

" _We will meet you there, Robin,_ " Kaldur thought.

Dick stopped his hacking, stuck his phone in his pocket followed by his hands, and walked towards Big Ben, whistling. He managed to avoid the large crowd of reporters, police, and emergency service workers, sneaking around them with all the skill he had as Robin.

About five minutes after he arrived at Big Ben, the others joined him. Artemis' hair was frizzy, Superboy's shirt had a tear near the bottom, and Kaldur's hair was slightly damp but other than they all looked pretty good. Not injured or anything.

"Well, this trip turned out way more exciting than I was expecting," Wally said cheerily. "But I've gotta get home. I promised my dad that I'd be home by after a few hours, and I think I'm reaching that point."

"Conner and I should probably be getting back too," M'gann said apologetically, not tripping up on the temporary name the clone had used as Dick had earlier. Who knew, maybe it'd be the name Conner chose? Scratch that, it would definitely be the name he chose if M'gann had anything to do with it. She was smitten with him, and he with her, even if he didn't know it yet.

"I need to be back too," Artemis said, rubbing the back of her neck, looking embarrassed. "My mom wants to go back to school shopping with me."

"And I, too, must take my leave," Kaldur said, ever as formal. "But thank you for inviting us, Robin."

"And thank you for the ride on the London Eye," M'gann chirped. "It was so fun."

"Yeah, thanks, dude," Wally said.

"It was cool," Artemis agreed.

"Bye, guys. Thanks for keeping me from being bored," Dick said, watching as they walked towards the other side of Big Ben, where the zeta beam was located. "See you soon."

He received one more wave from his friends before they disappeared in the crowd making their way towards the London Eye to look around, no doubt. Dick turned sharply and began to make his way back to Grimmauld Place. He had the feeling that he was going to be in trouble for sneaking out, but he couldn't find it in himself to care very much.

* * *

_August 16th_

"Lord Voldemort, I bring word of the other Potter boy."

"Speak," a high voice commanded.

The figure in the shadowy cloak stood up, letting the hood fall down and reveal his platinum blonde hair.

"He was among a group a muggle teenagers. They all showed strange abilities, no doubt attributed to magic. But the boy's seemed to be quiet powerful. He was able to make a huge _muggle_ contraption move by only looking at his hand."

"Hmm," Voldemort hummed. "That is most interesting, Lucius. You have done well."

Though it was a compliment, it sounded like an insult coming from his lips. He took a haughty pride in the way Lucius paled at the words and muttered a quick 'thank you' before scurrying off, looking very much like Wormtail.

His quick mind turned to ways he could use the information to his advantage. If the other Potter was able to control something so large without a wand and only a movement of his eyes, as well as no spoken incantation… well, he would be a worthy minion. Probably quite easy to manipulate since he was so young too.

Then again, Harry Potter had been steadfast in his belief even at eleven. This boy could be even more so. But from what he'd heard, Voldemort very much doubted that. A small boy who looked much younger than he was? One who would leave the safety of the Order, or relative safety. Voldemort still had his spy, after all.

No matter what, the other Potter would prove to be useful, one way or another.

* * *

_August 16th_

When Dick arrived back at Grimmauld Place, the door was unlocked. That in and of itself was shocking. When he entered, what little he could see of the house was in chaos. Mrs. Weasley was yelling from somewhere upstairs, and he heard her mention his name.

He winced. So they had noticed he'd gone missing. _Great_. He was looking forward to telling them all he was fine. _Really_ , he was. Not.

"I believe they're looking for you, young man," a light, airy voice said.

Dick jumped and whirled around in shock. Someone had snuck up on him? _Him_? Who he saw behind him was slightly more shocking. Dumbledore, in all his glory of neon teal robes and a matching hat, half-moon spectacles hanging a little crooked on his nose.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Not as bad as you fear but worse than you hoped."

"That doesn't really help," Dick said.

Again, Dumbledore chuckled. "No, it doesn't, does it? I suppose I'll amend my statement then; they figured out you weren't here about an hour ago. If need be, you could always tell them that's how long you were out on the roof? The attic has a window, does it not?"

Dick looked at Dumbledore suspiciously. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because, my boy, I remember what it was like to be a teenager. A teenager forced into something they do not wish to do, no less." Dumbledore sounded all too knowledgeable. He also looked sad. There was definitely more to the story there. "You are not hurt and I'm sure with your friends with you, you were quite safe."

"My friends?" Dick asked, playing dumb.

"Yes, your friends. They seem very nice, especially that red-headed boy, though I suspect him and the blonde girl aren't very friendly with each other," Dumbledore said.

"How did you know all that?" Dick asked, genuinely curious.

"A simple deduction," Dumbledore said. "I also just happened to be walking near Big Ben - wonderful clock, and the only one my poor eyes can ever see - and saw a boy who looked extraordinarily like you with a small group of teenagers."

"Oh," Dick said, and for a moment, he thought that Dumbledore wasn't as foolish as he acted, but he also thought the man wasn't so terrible either. He could certainly be worse. And he let Dick take a break.

"I heard from Remus what he asked you to do. A wise choice, but it is understandable you needed some space afterward."

"Thanks," Dick said awkwardly, shifting.

"Now, I believe it is time for me to announce I have found you," Dumbledore said, winking and walking up the stairs a few steps before saying in a deep voice that carried: "I have found him."

Within moments, everyone who stayed at Grimmauld Place, and a few people who didn't, had come to the bottom of the stairs. Dick stood there, feeling rather sheepish, as everyone looked at him. Suddenly, Mrs. Weasley ran forward.

"Oh, Dick, I'm so glad you're okay. Where ever were you? You can't just disappear like that. You are okay, right?" This was all said in one breath before she grabbed him in a tight hug, pretty much squeezing all the air out of his lungs.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley," he said when he was released from the death-grip hug and only being held at an arms-length from her by his shoulders. "I'm sorry. I just needed a little space, so I went onto the roof."

"The roof?" Mrs. Weasley screeched at the same time as the twins. Unlike the twins, however, she looked apprehensive. The twins looked excited, and possibly like they were plotting something that. "How did you get up there?"

"There's a window in the attic," Dick said sheepishly, feeling slightly guilty for the lie.

"There's an attic?" the twins asked together. "Wicked."

"Which no one will be allowed in any longer," Mrs. Weasley said sternly, turning around and wagging her finger at everyone on the stairs. "Now, since you're okay, Dick, how about I finish a nice dinner for everyone, yeah?"

"That would be wonderful, Molly," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "I believe I will have to skip today but make sure to save some for me."

With that, Dumbledore swirled out the front door. Everyone watched it for a moment in silence, then, as suddenly as he'd disappeared, the noise started up again and people began to go about their business again, though all the adults gave Dick a warning not to disappear again.

Ginny, after the adults were gone, walked next to him and punched his shoulder, hard.

"You're a prat," she said. "You nearly gave me a case of dragon pox I was so scared."

Dick chose to ignore the mention of a disease he was fairly sure didn't exist. But then again, magic, so it probably did for them. And him, he supposed. He was magic too, after all.

"Sorry," he apologized. "Really."

"Just, I thought I lost you," Harry said, appearing next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "I didn't want that to happen."

Dick was reminded quite vividly that Harry had already lost his family to Voldemort. It made him feel even more guilty. Not sorry though. Just guilty. He wouldn't be sorry for wanting to see his friends when he was stressed.

"I"m so sorry," Dick said softly.

"It's fin now," Harry said, eyes shining. "I'm just glad you're alright."

"And you should show us that window to the roof," Fred said.

"It would be… _interesting_ to explore the roofs," George added.

"Mum would kill you," Ron said.

"And it's not a good idea," Hermione lectured. "You could fall off."

"But we can use magic," Fred argued, starting to walk up the stairs. Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and George followed. Harry stayed at the bottom with him.

"You're not supposed to do it near where a muggle could spot you," Hermione said, exasperated.

Dick listened to them bicker back and forth up the stairs until he could no longer hear them. It was just him and Harry now.

"Next time, don't do that," Harry said quietly. "I'm sorry if we were treating you differently after hearing about your parents."

Dick shook his head. "It's fine. I'm used to it. I just… I don't even know why I ever expect anything different," Dick said, shaking his head. "I've only known a few people who don't act different about it, and they're pretty much all adults."

"It must be lonely," Harry said sympathetically.

Dick thought of Gotham high society, the fake smiles, the simpering laughs. The hidden insults to his intelligence. To Bruce's. He'd grown a thick skin, but that didn't mean it didn't bug him.

"It is."

* * *

_August 16th_

" _Cedric,_ " Harry groaned in his sleep. Dick had woken up to the obviously vivid dream a few minutes ago, but he was still unsure what it was about. " _No - not Cedric, please. Don't kill him. No!_ "

Dick felt a cold feeling grow in his gut. Cedric was someone who'd died. Someone Harry had seen die. Recently, if his dream was any clue.

Dick stood up slowly, walking towards the bunk bed Harry and Ron shared, socks muffling his footsteps enough to make Alfred proud. He paused in front of the bed and stood on his tip toes, reaching over the top and poking Harry's shoulder gently.

Harry groaned, sounding in distress.

" _Harry,_ " Dick hissed. " _Wake up._ "

Harry did not wake up. His dream was becoming more terrible, Dick could tell. He had to wake Harry up soon. Silently hoping Harry would forgive him, Dick pinched Harry's ear, hard.

"Ouch," Harry yelped loudly, jolting up and panting loudly, looking around wildly.

Dick winced and whispered: " _Sorry, Harry. You were having a nightmare and I was trying to wake you up._ "

" _It's fine,_ " Harry said right away, sounding very far away from drowsy like one normally was after waking up from a dream. It must have really been a horrible nightmare.

" _Want to go downstairs? We can talk,_ " Dick offered.

Harry nodded fervently and jumped down from the top bunk, landing lightly. Ron was still sound asleep. Dick held a finger up to his face and tiptoed towards the door. Harry followed close behind him, all the way to the kitchen downstairs.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" Dick asked.

Harry looked at him strangely and sat down at the table. "Why?"

"Alfred always makes me hot chocolate after I have a nightmare," he said, shrugging.

"I thought you said you lived with someone named Bruce?" Harry wondered. "Is Alfred his-"

Harry cut himself off and turned an impressive shade of red. Dick did too, once he realized what Harry meant.

"Oh, n-no," he said quickly. "Alfred is like my grandfather." Dick shuddered. "Sorry, that's just a really weird thought for me."

"Oh," Harry said, blushing even more. "I can see why. Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for," Dick said shrugging, though he could still feel that his ears were red. "At least you're open to people being gay."

Harry laughed, sounding slightly bitter. "The Dursley's aren't. I figured that since they're wrong about all sorts of things, they must be wrong about that too. I've met a few people since who've solidified that belief."

"They don't sound very pleasant," Dick commented, putting a pot of milk on the ancient stove.

"No, not really," Harry agreed rather sadly.

They remained in silence for a while. Dick made the hot chocolate extra chocolatey and handed Harry a steaming mug, pouring himself one and sitting across from the older teen.

Both of them took a few sips. Harry didn't seem to want to talk, so Dick started the conversation.

"I used to get nightmares like that," he offered.

Harry looked at him, eyes sad, and so, so old. "That's too bad."

"It helps to talk about them," Dick said.

"Why?" Harry asked, sounding confused. "They're just dreams. They'll go away."

Dick stared at Harry flatly and set his mug on the table. Was he serious?

"You saw someone die, right?"

Harry nodded reluctantly.

"Dude, you have PTSD."

"PTSD?" Harry asked.

"You know, post-traumatic stress disorder," Dick said.

"No, I know what it is," Harry said, shaking his head. "But I thought only soldiers got that."

"Anyone who's undergone a traumatic experience can get it," Dick said flatly.

"You said you used to get nightmares like me? Did you have it?" Harry asked.

"I _have_ it," Dick said, stressing the word 'have'.

"It doesn't go away?" Harry asked, dismayed.

Dick shrugged and grabbed his mug. "It can. It depends. Mine hasn't. It's not as bad anymore. I see a therapist monthly to help me manage it."

Normally he wouldn't be this honest, but this was Harry, the boy he was beginning to think of as a brother. The teen who needed to feel loved. Who needed to understand there was nothing wrong with him, even if he was hurt or scared.

"Oh," Harry said, sounding very small. "What, what caused your's?"

Dick froze, hot chocolate touching his lips. He took a small gulp and set his mug down again.

"I, I told you I saw my parents die. We were high up. I saw them it the ground. There was… it was a lot of blood. I managed to get down fast because I thought maybe I could, I don't even know." Dick shrugged again. "They had to pull me away from their bodies. I had a lot of blood on me."

Harry's hand went up to his mouth in a silent gasp of horror. Dick smiled at him in a self-deprecating way.

"I'd prefer if that could just be between us, though," Dick said. "Everything, if possible. I don't really like people to know the whole thing. The point is that it gets better. You could see a therapist if you wanted."

"I won't tell anyone," Harry said. "And, it's a good idea. I don't think the Dursley's would go for it though. It'd probably be too much work for them," he spat bitterly.

"I'm sorry," Dick said softly.

"It's not your fault," Harry said. "Let's talk about something happier, yeah? Quidditch?"

"Sure," Dick agreed, lips quirking into a half-smile. "Quidditch."

Later that night after him and Harry had finished their hot chocolate and went back upstairs, Harry was sleeping soundly. Dick, however, was wide awake, thinking deeply.

This was… it was getting better. He was getting to know Harry pretty well. He liked him a lot better than when he'd first met him. He was even sharing more. Not everything, but more.

The thing was, Dick missed Bruce. He missed Gotham and Robin every night. He missed Barbara. He missed his city, his home. He couldn't keep going back and forth between Grimmauld Place and Gotham so often.

Dick belonged to the world of superheroes and aliens. Crazy villains and paparazzi. Circuses and trapezes. He may have been born a wizard, but he wasn't a wizard. His powers were that of one, but that wasn't him.

It was like how even though Dick wasn't Roma by birth since he was adopted, he was still Roma. It was the culture he was raised in, his culture. It didn't matter what anyone else thought about it; it was his life.

He was hurting himself, going back and forth between two lives. Pretending they were both his when only one of them really was. It was just hurting him, and later when he was inevitably faced with a decision to choose between them, he knew he'd choose Gotham and Bruce every time. Kidding himself and everyone else would only hurt in the end.

What Dick needed to do was make that clear to everyone else. The Order needed to know he wasn't a wizard, not really. Heck, the only reason he was training was that it was required by law and he was able to train in Roma magic too.

It would be terrible, but he needed them to know. He needed a break from all the magic stuff, for him. And that meant not coming over for a while. Granted, school started in about two weeks for all of them who still went to Hogwarts. It wasn't like he'd be spending much more of his summer here. Still, he needed a break. He needed to see Bruce for more than a few hours.

He would tell them in the morning, but only after talking to Harry and making sure he knew why Dick was going to be spending less time there suddenly. Making sure Harry wouldn't be upset with him.

He'd probably also have to arrange to have members of the Order come to the Manor and check on him, to make sure Voldemort hadn't found him and kidnapped him or anything. Not that Dick was too worried. Still, the Order would be otherwise.

With that decided, Dick settled deeper into his quilt and relaxed. Now that he'd figured it out, he could sleep easy. He could go and see Bruce tomorrow. That would be nice. And Alfred. As good as Mrs. Weasley's cooking was, no one could cook quite like Alfred. That man was a god in the kitchen.

Dick fell asleep with dreams of roast chicken and flying across Gotham as Robin. He felt freer than he had all summer, even in his dreams. Everything would be perfect starting tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got a [Tumblr](https://thefuriousstarlightstudent.tumblr.com/). Come check me out!


	15. Boggarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really got inspired suddenly, so this chapter is out a lot sooner than I thought it would be. Hopefully, you guys enjoy it! I'm super proud of how I wrote the last section especially. I'd love to hear what you think! Especially about how Dick's interacting with Harry. I like to think I'm doing a good job of showing their growth, but it's great to hear what you guys think too.

_August 19th_

"Good job today, Dick," Bruce said, putting a hand on his shoulder as he climbed out of the Bat-jet.

Dick looked up at Bruce, who was climbing out of the other side of the Bat-jet. Bruce was still wearing his cowl, but Dick could see the beginnings of a small smile.

Dick shrugged. "Thanks, Bruce. But Ra's still got the lens. I should have known he would lunge at me."

"Ra's is a master assassin, Dick," Bruce said, pulling his cowl down a moment after his feet hit the ground. "You couldn't have stopped him even if you tried. But we held him off and stopped the bigger plan. That's what's important."

"I guess," Dick said. "But with the diamond lens, he could just try again."

"Then we'll stop him again."

Dick shook his head, feeling frustrated. "More people will still get hurt, even if we stop him. The scientists he has to build his rocket. The people he kidnaps or kills to get access to a launch site. I wish we were able to stop him for good." At Bruce's rather alarmed stare, Dick amended. "By putting them in prison. Jeez, Bruce, I'm not a monster."

"I know that, chum," Bruce said. "And I understand why it's so frustrating, believe me." Bruce smiled wryly. "But for now, let's just get out of uniform and get some sleep."

"Probably a good idea," Dick acquiesced with a nod. "I could use it. You could too," he added. "Aren't old men supposed to get sleepier earlier than kids?"

"Haha," Bruce said dryly. "You're a comedian, kid. Now go on, take your uniform off and get upstairs."

"I thought you needed some sleep?" Dick said innocently, following Bruce to the Bat-computer."

"I'm just going to type this report up before heading upstairs," Bruce said. Dick was pretty sure the only reason the report about what happened had only become _so_ important to finish was because he teased Bruce though.

"Don't take too long or Alfred will skin you alive," Dick joked.

Bruce waved Dick off over his shoulder silently, already typing at an incredible speed. Dick stuck his tongue out and went to the changing room, but just before he entered, he heard Bruce call: "Saw that."

Dick shook his head once he was out of sight in disbelief.

"Stupid bat-senses," he muttered, quickly stipping and throwing on sweatpants and a Superman t-shirt he'd gotten from Clark a few years ago. Much to his dismay, what had fit him pretty well when he was ten still fit him very well now that he was thirteen, almost fourteen.

Before, when Dick had thought John Grayson was his biological dad, he'd always assumed he would eventually hit a growth spurt and get to be as big as his dad had been, almost as big as Bruce. Now he knew he would never be that tall, or was pretty sure of it at least. Harry wasn't a tall person by a longshot. The one picture Sirius had shown him of his biological dad showed that he wasn't tall either, instead, he was rather short and lanky.

Dick knew he was short. He avoided the lanky look thanks to his vigorous exercise regimen though, so at least there was that. It made him look less skinny and more along the lines of lean. Now he knew he'd probably stay on that side of it permanently, but it could have been worse, he supposed.

Dick peeled off his mask, wincing as it stuck to the corner of his eye. When he finished that, he threw it on top of his Robin uniform, grabbed his utility belt, and left the changing room. He threw a quick 'goodbye' Bruce's way and trudged up the stairs, the exhaustion finally hitting him as the last bits of adrenaline left his body from the earlier tangle with Ra's and Talia.

"I see you're back, Master Dick," Alfred said when he saw Dick emerge from the study.

"Yeah, we're back," Dick said, smiling at the old man. "Stopped the bad guys, kicked butt, survived. You know, all the usual stuff."

"Well, it is wonderful to hear it is only the ' _usual stuff_ '," Alfred said dryly. "Heaven forbid if it was something unusual."

"That's what we have you for, Alfred," Dick said brightly. "In case either of us ends up injured or needing stitches."

"And I thought it was my cooking."

"Well, that too," Dick conceded. "I think Bruce would kill himself without you. At least I can cook, even if it's only soup and mac-n-cheese."

"And what a feat that is," Alfred said. "Now, if I'm not mistaken, Master Bruce sent you up so you would sleep?"

"You know him so well," Dick joked. "Yeah, he did. I'm heading up to my room now."

"Well then, go," Alfred said, shooing him up the stairs they'd ended up in front of while bantering. "I will make sure Master Bruce heads up at a reasonable time as well. I'm sure the city of Gotham can survive without the Batman for one night while he sleeps as a reward for stopping Ra's al Ghul."

"Definitely," Dick agreed. Alfred shot him a pointed look. "I'm going, I'm going jeez."

* * *

_August 21st_

"I wish I could have done something," Wally said.

Dick placed a hand on his taller friend's shoulder. "I know, dude, I know. But at least you stopped Klarion from getting it. At least you know he was okay with it."

Wally shook his head. "I know, like, logically, but I think my brain was messed up by the helmet because logic just isn't doing it for me. It's not fair, what happened to him. It really isn't."

"Believe me, I get it," Dick said. "Kent Nelson deserved better. It could have all been worse though. I mean, he was with you. He knew you did your best."

"Still feels like we lost," Wally argued weakly.

"He didn't think so though, did he?" Dick asked.

Wally looked at Dick. "No, he didn't, I suppose. It's still hard."

"It'll be hard for a while," Dick said. "But just remember, he knew what he was doing. He wasn't sorry for stopping Klarion. You shouldn't feel guilty. He made his choice."

"You're right," Wally admitted. He still looked sad.

Dick would be honest, he knew what Wally was feeling. Living in Gotham, he had to. But living in Gotham he also knew people died all the time. No one should beat themselves up for not being able to save someone, especially when they hadn't been able to without some major reworking of events that were usually out of anyone's control and unable to be changed.

"Just, give yourself time," Dick advised. "Forgive yourself. It goes a long way."

"Yeah, bro," Wally said. "So, um, how are things with your brother?"

Wally was obviously deflecting, but Dick let him. All part of the healing process. After a cursory glance around to make sure no one could hear him discussing confidential information (to everyone who didn't know who he was and didn't know about magic in Europe) with Wally. It was clear. Pretty much everyone had already left. Only Wally, Dick, and Bruce were still there.

"Things are going okay," Dick said slowly. "The school year's starting soon for them and I've been going crazy never having a break, so I'm not heading over there as often. I'm just gonna head back once more for this party thing and to see Harry off at King's Cross."

"They get to their secret 'magic' school from King's Cross Station?" Wally asked dubiously.

"From Platform 9 ¾," Dick confirmed.

"What?" Wally asked dully.

"Platform 9 ¾," Dick repeated. "A hidden magical platform you have to run through a wall to reach."

"I miss when things made sense and magic wasn't real," Wally said, looking at Kent Nelson's grave again. "It was a lot simpler."

"I thought you said magic wasn't real," Dick said gently.

Wally shrugged. "I mean, it'll ruin my reputation, but it has to be, right? Or else it was science, and science makes sense. Kent Nelson having to die doesn't make sense. Doctor Fate doesn't make sense. None of it does."

"I guess," Dick said. And of all the things to make Wally a believer, it had to be a death.

"Just don't go telling anyone," Wally said. "Not believing in magic is like my thing."

"I won't," Dick promised. "I know you've got that reputation of yours to maintain."

"Good," Wally said. "And Dick? Thanks."

Dick smiled softly and made Wally face him before giving the taller teen a hug.

"You're welcome. What are friends for?"

* * *

_August 23rd_

"You ready to head to head to headquarters?" Sirius asked.

"I'm ready," Dick said. "Bye, Bruce. See you tomorrow, Alfred."

"Have a good time, Dick," Bruce said sincerely.

Alfred nodded stiffly in agreement, and though to anyone else he might have looked cold, Dick could see the warmth hidden in his eyes.

"I will, Bruce. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Don't worry," he said.

Dick followed Sirius outside to the driveway, looked back one more time, and waved to Bruce and Alfred. He felt Sirius place a hand on his shoulder, squeeze it, and then the terrible-but-familiar sensation of disapparating.

He really _hated_ it. It felt like he was about to throw up right after and the world was blurry. He was sure if he mentioned it to Bruce, the man would find some way to train Dick into not letting it bother him, but if Bruce did it Dick guaranteed that the man would feel just as ill afterward.

"So, what time is the gathering?" Dick asked Sirus as the man opened the door.

"Around five," Sirius said. "Molly's making a big dinner for everyone. I think Harry's still feeling down about not being made prefect though. Don't see why to be perfectly honest," Sirius continued as Dick followed him into the kitchen. "Neither I nor your dad was ever a prefect."

"Does Harry know that?" Dick asked.

Sirius thought for a moment. "No, I don't think he does."

"Then that's probably why," Dick said. "He's afraid he's not living up to his dad."

Sirius nodded. "You're probably right. Now, what are you doing following me into the kitchen? Go and say hello to everyone."

Dick nodded and left the room obediently. If he was right, they'd all be gathered in a room cleaning right now. He went up to the third floor, following the muffled sounds of groaning and cursing.

When he opened the door, he saw everyone gathered, well, all the 'kids'. He also saw a trunk make a run for the door and attributed his dodge to all his skills as Robin, ducking down and rolling to the side with wide eyes.

"After that trunk!" Fred and George shouted together, barreling out the door and running down the hall past Dick where the trunk had escaped.

Dick stood up and jumped in the room, closing the door.

"I have a feeling there's a story behind that," he said. "But I also have a feeling that I probably don't want to know the story."

"Dick!" Hermione squealed. "You're back!"

She lunged forward and squeezed him in a hug that Dick gingerly returned after a moment. Only her warning squeal and his knowledge of her kept him from accidentally tackling her or something.

The others were much more conservative in their greetings. As soon as Hermione had released him, Ginny waved, Ron said 'hello', and Harry nudged Dick's shoulder with his own.

"I didn't know you'd be here today," Ginny said. "Why didn't they tell us?"

"I think it was supposed to be a surprise," Dick joked. "So surprise?"

"It's good to see you, mate," Ron said. "Mum's had us going crazy with the cleaning. I think I may actually have cleaners oozing from my brain right now."

Ron sounded despondent. Ginny punched him in the shoulder. Hard. Dick actually winced for Ron. He was glad Ginny didn't have any formal martial arts training and that she wasn't a supervillain. She'd kinda be terrible to fight against, and not just because he knew her. Because she was smart, strong, and not afraid to do what she wanted. The world was lucky what she wanted was nefarious.

"And you're hoping me being here means you won't have to anymore?" Dick asked, laughing. "I don't think she'll agree to that for you guys. Me, however, I'm technically a guest."

"You're evil," Harry deadpanned, smiling slightly. "A supervillain out to ruin our lives."

"It's a gift," Dick shrugged.

"Ignore them," Hermione said. "They're just being idiots." That last word was said with a very large amount of fondness and most of it seemed to be directed at a redhead. Not Ginny either.

"I will," Dick said. "I'm helping anyway. Don't worry."

"You are right about being a guest; you don't need to," Ginny said.

"I'm fine," Dick said, rolling up the sleeves of his sweater. He reached for a rag on the side of a bucket filled with sudsy water. "Now what are we doing?"

"Windows," Hermione said, pointing at the three large ones reaching from floor to ceiling on a wall. "No magic."

"Well, it's not like we can do any anyway," Ron grumbled, putting his rag in the water, squeezing it out, and beginning to scrub the bottom glass of the first window.

Hermione shared an amused glance with Ginny and Dick, smiling slightly. Harry didn't notice and instead nodded his head in agreement with Ron, kneeling down to join him at the first window.

Hermione, Ginny, and he dunked their rags in the water and moved over to the second window. After a moment, however, Dick realized that they had enough people on it and moved to the third window. He made more progress once he didn't have people in the way anyway.

"Whoa!" Ron exclaimed a few minutes. "You're fast at that."

Dick looked up and saw Ron re-dunking his rag in the suds, looking at the not insubstantial amount Dick had finished.

"Wow, you really did," Harry agreed, coming over to look. "Way more than Ron and I."

"And more than Ginny and Hermione," Ron added, sounding wonderstruck. "And I thought girls were supposed to be good at cleaning."

"Ronald Billius Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed, stopping her scrubbing and throwing her rag at him, scandalized. "How dare you!"

Ron laughed until the rag hit him. He'd obviously said it on purpose to get a rise out of her, which, if Dick was honest, was kind of funny.

"You prat," Ginny said easily, continuing her scrubbing while Hermione retrieved her rag off of Ron's shoulder and Harry laughed. "Anyway, how'd you get it done so fast?"

Dick shrugged. "Practice. I help out washing windows at home. It's like a requirement for a few… extra-curricular activities." The Team and Robin-ing, but he wasn't about to tell them that. "You eventually figure out how to move faster."

"So no tips for us then?" Hermione asked as she sat down next to Ginny and in front of their window.

Dick shook his head. "Sorry. You kinda just figure it out."

"Shouldn't I have 'figured it out' by now?" Ron grumbled good-naturedly. "I've been doing this pretty much all summer."

"Trust me, it takes a lot of windows," Dick replied.

"How many would you say?" Harry asked from the bucket where he was cleaning his rag off.

Dick shook his head and turned around, heading to the bucket and cleaning his rag with Harry. "I don't really know. Took me at least a year, and where I live has a _lot_ of windows."

Harry, however, didn't respond. Instead, his eyes were on Dick's arm, right above his elbow. Dick sighed deeply. He had been pretty lucky in terms of scars, with only small scars in easier to spot places and almost every larger one hidden on his torso, therefore always under a shirt. Almost every larger scar. This was the only big scar that was easy to see, provided Dick wore the right clothes, which to be fair, he did quite often. It was also the one people asked a lot of questions about.

"Where did you get that?" Harry asked.

"Get what?" Hermione piped in as Dick yanked his arm out of the water and pulled his sleeve down again, avoiding Harry's gaze.

"This huge scar," Harry said, making a motion with his arm obviously intended to convey the size of Dick's scar. He wasn't really off either.

"What?" Ron asked, coming over. Ginny and Hermione did as well.

Dick stood up and went back to his window, continuing where he'd left off.

"Dick, what was that?" Harry asked again. "Where did it come from?"

"A knife," Dick said simply, looking at them. Their eyes went wide. "I was running through the kitchen and holding a knife and I tripped. You can guess what happened."

"You were running while holding a knife?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Yes," Dick said, exasperated. It was a lie, the same one he'd told Remus, but better than the truth. "I told you I grew up in the circus. There was knife throwing acts and people taming lions _while_ riding elephants. My sense of 'appropriate behavior' was a little different as a kid." That, at least, was a plausible reason. "I decided to go throw a knife at Bruce's chair in his study and was bringing one there."

"Why would you be throwing a knife at his chair?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest.

Dick shrugged and turned away, scrubbing the glass panes in the window again. "I was bored and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Look, I was nine. It's not like it made sense."

"I wouldn't have gone running with a knife at nine," Harry said reproachfully. "I knew better."

"And I didn't," Dick said calmly. "It's not a big deal. I got stitched up and it's healed now. Nothing to worry about." Dick turned to look at them and cracked a smile. "I'm not about to go running around with a knife again any time soon either. I learned my lesson."

If learning his lesson meant he wasn't going to get caught by the Joker again. And it did, but even so, he still hadn't learned it technically. He'd been captured plenty of times since by the Joker. He was better at getting away and avoiding knives now though. After that one time where Joker had thought it would be funny to carve his name into Dick's skin, well, he was a lot more careful now.

Luckily, Dick's reasoning and his reason seemed to calm them down and console them. It also worked to trick them. They went back to cleaning the windows in a heavy silence, heavier than it had been before Dick accidentally let Harry see that scar.

* * *

_August 23rd_

The party wasn't really Dick's cup of tea. Don't get him wrong, it was way better than any party Bruce ever threw, but it was still not that great. First off, Dick didn't really know anyone that well. Second, the food was quickly disappearing. Third, he couldn't find any of the people he did know well enough to not actively avoid.

He'd received enough of 'Oh, he looks just like his brother and dad' and 'What a cutie-pie! He can't be thirteen' and of course: 'I'm so sorry for your loss'. That last one bugged him the most. He hadn't known James and Lily Potter. He didn't miss them, even though he was sad they died. He liked his life, and terrible as it was, he wouldn't even trade it for them being alive. Though, if they had been alive, he still might have ended up where he was now. Lily had asked Petunia to watch him for a reason unrelated to Voldemort coming and his 'aunt' had left him on the steps of an orphanage. That wouldn't have changed if they lived. Maybe they would have found him though. There was no way to know unless they had Booster Gold sift through a bunch of the realities.

Since he ended up sick of the party pretty soon, and couldn't find Harry to stick to, Dick went upstairs to head to his room. He was startled when he heard a broken sob.

He ran towards the noise. It was the study. The door was open, so Dick rushed inside and found himself standing next to Harry, idly realizing that was where the teen went, and staring in horror at the floor.

Lying, eagle spread and very dead, was Mr. Weasley. But that couldn't be right. Mr. Weasley, he was downstairs. The sobbing he had heard was coming from Mrs. Weasley, and almost in a trance, Dick took a step forward to get Mr. Weasley's - or whatever the thing was - pulse.

As he took a step forward, Harry grabbed his shoulder and tried to pull him back, but Dick pushed him off and knelt towards the body. Then there was a loud crack and standing in front of him was someone he never thought he'd see again.

Dick felt the blood drain from his face as the man in a brown suit turned to look at him. He was exactly the same. There was even a toothpick sticking out of his mouth.

"Hiya, Dickie-bird," Tony Zucco said brightly. "How are you today? Did you enjoy the show?"

Dick trembled. He could hear Mrs. Weasley still sniffling, and he also heard Harry say: " _Get away, Dick! It's a boggart!_ " It was all so distant that it didn't matter though.

"Wanna see what I've got?" Zucco asked, holding out his popcorn pail to Dick. In it were two screws. The screws that had been missing from the trapeze and caused the wires to snap and his family to fall to their deaths.

"Go a-away," Dick snapped weakly.

"I can't do that. You thought you got rid of me, but I'm still here. I'm in your head, and you know that one day you'll snap and I'll end up in my cell just like your pa-"

"What's going on?" Remus asked, running in and interrupting Zucco's monologue. He was followed closely by Sirus and Mad-Eye Moody.

Lupin looked from Mrs. Weasley quietly sobbing, to Harry's pale face, to Dick's trembling body, to Zucco, who was leering at Dick. Remus took it all in very quickly and pulled out his wand, pointing it at Zucco.

" _Riddikulus!_ " he shouted.

Zucco vanished with a loud crack. Instead, there was a silvery orb, the full moon, Dick realized in a removed sort of way. Lupin waved his wand again and the moon vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Oh-oh-oh!" gulped Mrs. Weasley, and she started to sob even harder. Hysterically, Dick would say.

"Molly," Remus said weakly. "Molly, don't…"

And then Mrs. Weasley was launching herself at Remus, sobbing onto his shoulder.

"Are you okay, Dick?" Harry asked, and suddenly Dick realized Harry was in front of him with one hand on each shoulder. Behind him was Sirius.

Dick realized he was still trembling and hadn't been breathing either. He took a small breath, stared Harry straight in the eye, and asked: "What was that?"

"It was a boggart," Sirius said gently, placing a hand on top of Harry's and on Dick's shoulder. "They show themselves as your greatest fear."

Vaguely, he heard Mrs. Weasley still talking - or sobbing - to Lupin. Tony Zucco. His greatest fear was Tony Zucco. Tony Zucco who had killed his parents. His greatest fear was that he would kill Tony Zucco. That had been what the whatever-it-was was about to say before Remus came in and got rid of it.

And then Dick felt warm arms wrap around him. He was jerked back to the present. Numbly, Dick wrapped his arms around Harry too in a tight, desperate, hug. Dick wasn't sure how long he tuned the world out and let his brother wrap his arms around him, but it was longer than he should have.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked again, whispering it in his ear, keeping his arms around Dick tight.

Dick shook his head. "I don't know. I want to go to sleep."

"Okay," Harry said. "Then let's go up to our room. Come'on."

Harry unwrapped his arms from Dick and tugged his arm into the hallway, leaving Mrs. Weasley with Remus, Sirius, and Mad-Eye. In what felt like a moment they were in their shared room.

"You can get changed," Harry said. "I'll wait out here for you."

Dick nodded and closed the door, leaving Harry in the hallway. It only took Dick a minute or two for him to shimmy out of his clothes and into sweatpants and a big sweater he'd stolen from Wally ages ago.

He opened the door and let Harry in.

"Do you want me to stay?" Harry asked right away.

Dick bit his lip. He didn't need anyone. He would be fine on his own. But Harry was his brother. And Dick may not have needed anyone, but he wanted his brother.

"I'd like that," Dick finally said softly. "I'm not going to sleep, but some company while I read would be nice."

Harry nodded. "Then that's what I'll do. And if you want to talk…"

Dick shook his head. "No. Not-not yet. Thank you, though."

"What are friends for?" Harry asked wryly.

"Brothers," Dick said before he could stop himself. "We're brothers."

Harry smiled. "Then what are brothers for?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that the timeline is probably slightly different from the books, but eh, I don't really care. It's not like these minor changes affect it much.
> 
> My [Tumblr](https://thefuriousstarlightstudent.tumblr.com/).


	16. Crescent Marks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know, this is another chapter really fast, but now that my outline has been finished fully and I know where I'm going, I can't stop myself. This chapter went a totally different way in terms of a few smaller details. Nothing super important though.
> 
> It doesn't have as much action, and it's mostly building the background of Dick's history so that it's there. Most of it will end up being important later in the story, so keep that in mind.
> 
> Warnings: Allusions to and mentions of past self-harm. Implied depression. Nothing is too terrible though. Just be warned.
> 
> Hopefully, you guys enjoy this! Make sure to let me know what you think!

_August 24th_

_"Are you ready, my little Robin?"_

_"Yes, mama," a younger version of Dick replied, heavily accented._

_"Don't go on the trapeze!" Dick shouted, but no one heard him. Not younger him, not his parents, not his aunt and uncle, not his cousin. No one._

_He watched, helpless, as they started to climb the ladder up to the trapeze in preparation for their act. Dick found himself incapable of moving, and it was only when he heard a sickening crack that he was able to run out of the tent._

_He wasn't outside the tent and away from what was his families bodies though. Instead, he was right in the center of the ring, standing in the blood slowly pooling on the wood chips and leaving their bodies._

_Younger him slid down the ladder, sobbing and shouting in Romani. Pop Haley ran forward, pausing a moment to look at the bodies in horror, before trying to pull younger Dick away from his parents._

_In a muted way, Dick heard the screaming coming from the audience, but he couldn't see them anymore. Outside of the ring was just blackness._

_Finally, Pop Haley managed to pull the younger version of him away from his mom, but not before his white, red, and green leotard was stained a crimson red along with his hands. His face and hair were bloody as well, from laying his head on his mom's shoulder._

_It was strange, Dick couldn't remember much from this night. Really, if he looked back, the only thing he remembered from this day was his mom reaching her hands out for him to grab onto and the deafening crack. Then his family hitting the ground with a dull thud. The only reason he even knew he'd tried to make his mom was that his leotard had been covered in blood when he woke up in the police station the next day._

_The air smelled like copper and pine. Dick hated the smell of pine mixed with copper. How could he not, after what happened? It was the only other thing he remembered._

_"Dickie, bet you wish you'd killed me when you caught me," a voice sneered._

_Dick spun around and saw Tony Zucco, looking the same as he had the day he'd tried to extort money from Pop Haley. His suit was brown, he had a toothpick in his mouth, and his hair was slicked back._

_"I hate you," Dick snarled. "I hate you so much. You did this!" he exclaimed furiously, pointing behind him at the bodies._

_Zucco smiled. "And think about it, you could have paid me back for it. All you would have needed to do was push me off that building like you were planning to when you caught me. Like you were going to before Batman arrived."_

_And it was true. Dick froze. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that had Bruce not figured out he'd snuck out that night to catch Zucco, he would have killed him. Thrown him off the building and never given a second thought. Dick would have been a monster._

_"No, you are a monster," Zucco whispered, bending down to reach his ear. "Only a monster would plan to do it. Would want to do it. Without Batman do you know what you'd be?"_

_"I wouldn't," he protested weakly, even though he was lying._

_Zucco stood up and smiled. "You'd be a monster. Say it. I want to hear you say it. Tell me you're a monster, Dick! Tell me how much you want me dead. Tell me exactly what you would have done. Tell me, and I'll tell you what I was going to do to the rest of the circus if they hadn't caught me."_

_Dick's blood went cold._

_"That's right," Zucco laughed. Deep belly laughs, throwing his head back and shaking from joy. "I was going to burn it down, and everyone in it. Then I was going to find you, and I was going to slit your throat. Next would be Alfred. I was going to push him down the stairs. He's old enough it could have been an accident. Bruce, he would have been harder, he is Batman after all. Maybe I could have poisoned him? Or put a bomb in the Batcave? The possibilities were endless. And when I get out of jail, that's what I'm going to do. And don't worry, I will get out."_

_Dick was shaking, full of fury and anger. He clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into his skin until he could feel blood trickling down his palms._

_"I'm going to kill you," he said, rather calmly, considering._

_"See," Zucco said gleefully, clapping his hands together. "I knew you were a monster!"_

_Dick lunged at him._

* * *

_August 24th_

"Dick, wake up. Wake up."

Dick shot up, almost hitting his head into the person who'd been leaning over him. He glanced around quickly on edge. It was only when he saw Harry staring at him that he stopped.

"H-Harry?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah, it's me. I think you were having a nightmare. Are you alright?"

And Harry actually sounded concerned. But he shouldn't because it was like the Zucco in his dreams had said; Dick was a monster. He didn' deserve Bruce or Alfred of Harry or anyone.

"I'm fine," he said quietly, clenching his fists under the blankets. To his surprise, they were already slick with what must have been blood. "I'm just going to get dressed."

Harry blinked. "Oh. Okay. I'll leave you be then."

Dick nodded his thanks and waited to get up until Harry had left and closed the door. Then he got out of bed and looked at his hands. They weren't terrible, but they could have been much better.

His blunt nails had dug into them deeply, but not deep enough to cause nerve damage. All eight crescent-shaped cuts on his hands were bleeding, but not as much as he'd expected. His hands were bloody, and upon inspection, he realized that there was some blood on his white sheets too. He'd have to clean that up. His hands too.

He'd done it before in his sleep, unconsciously making himself wake up from his dreams. It had started in juvie, never enough to make him bleed though, only cause pain. When he'd gone to live with Bruce, he'd continued. Eventually, just the pain wasn't enough to wake him up, and he'd dig his nails deeper until he drew blood. That had never failed to wake him up.

Then he'd started doing it when he was awake. At first, it was only whenever he was scared. Then he did it to keep himself from getting mad. And then he did it whenever he needed to feel something real, something that proved he wasn't in a nightmare or that Tony Zucco wouldn't appear in front of him.

Bruce had discovered it when he was ten. At that point, his palms were more often healing or bleeding than not. That was when Bruce had started making him see Dinah. That was when he'd started cutting his nails so blunt, to keep him from doing it in his sleep.

It was a habit he continued even now, cutting his nails shorter than was strictly comfortable. He hadn't dug is nails into his palms in a year, leaving his them scarred but not raw. And now here he was, nails still so very short but hands bleeding all the same. And the pain and blood hadn't woken him up.

Dick pulled his jeans and a long sleeve shirt out of his bag. He noticed that his hands were shaking uncontrollably and got dressed quickly, doing his best to ignore them. Once he was fully dressed he grabbed his wand and recited a quick cleaning spell he'd heard Mrs. Wealsey use once. His hands shook as he used his wand, but the cleaning spell worked, all the same, leaving his sheets and white as before.

Dick shoved his wand back in his backpack, went to the door, opened it, and shoved his hands in his pockets. He needed to get to the bathroom and wash them. And he needed to go to sleep with gloves or something so he didn't do it again, tempting at it was to just ignore the problem and hope it would go away.

His plans his a brick wall when he saw Harry was still standing across from the door, leaning against the wall. Harry looked Dick up and down quickly before standing up straight.

"I wanted to talk to you about last night," Harry said.

Dick shook his head. "No."

"Dick," Harry started. "I just want to-"

"No," Dick interrupted. "It's not any of your business. I'm sorry, but no. I don't want to talk about it. Just let it go, Harry."

"You're my younger brother. I just want to make sure you're okay," Harry said earnestly.

Dick sighed deeply and turned, walking down the hall to the nearest bathroom. Harry followed him.

"I don't need you to make sure I'm okay," Dick said. "I'm not a child."

"Dick, just let me-"

"What?" Dick snarled, whipping around. "Help me? I don't need help. I need you to just leave me alone."

"I'm not doing that," Harry said.

"Fine, you want to know what's going on?" Dick asked.

Harry hesitated. "I don't need to know what's going on. I just need to make sure you're okay. You shut down last night after seeing your boggart. I don't need to know anything, I just want you to know I'm here if you need me. I just want to know if you're okay or not. That's all."

Dick softened, turning away from Harry and slumping.

"I'm not okay," he finally said. "I will be, though. It just surprised me."

"That's all I needed to know," Harry said, placing a hand on Dick's shoulder.

Dick shrugged it off and turned to look at Harry, who seemed hurt.

"It's not," Dick tried. "I just don't want to be touched right now. That's all."

"Okay," Harry said, suddenly smiling wryly. "I know how that is after a nightmare."

Dick returned the smile with a weak one of his own. "Yeah."

"Well, I'll leave you alone. Mrs. Weasley has breakfast ready for you. Everyone else is eating. I don't think you're leaving until around one because of the time difference, so you still have around six hours."

Dick almost laughed at that. Like Bruce wouldn't be awake now. If it was seven in the morning, like Harry had said it was roughly, Bruce would have just gotten back from patrol. But they didn't know that.

"Okay. I'm just gonna use the bathroom, then I'll join you."

Harry nodded and turned away, leaving Dick alone in the hallway. He went to the bathroom, closed the door, and locked it tightly. Once that was done, he took his hands out of the pockets in his jeans turned the sink on, and began the job of cleaning the blood off.

It didn't take too long; most of the blood had only just started to dry. Once his hands were clean, he looked at the cuts closely, trying to judge the damage he'd done now that he could see the injuries better.

They were larger than he'd done before, not in depth, but in width. He must have moved his nails around while he was sleeping, probably because they were so short. Luckily, the bleeding had already stopped. He'd have to just settle for keeping an eye on them until he got back to the Manor and could wear bandages without getting a weird look.

He left the bathroom and arrived in the kitchen just as Remus was leaving. Remus sniffed for a moment before looking at Dick strangely and grabbing his arm before he could continue on.

"Do you mind if I steal Dick before he joins you for breakfast?" Remus asked everyone pleasantly.

Mrs. Weasley waved to them with the spoon she'd been using to serve eggs.

"Go ahead. We won't miss him for a moment."

Remus nodded and tugged Dick away, pulling him along until they were in one of Grimmauld Place's many living rooms with the door closed tightly.

"Blood," Remus said simply.

Dick paled.

"What?" he croaked. "What are you talkin-"

"You're bleeding, or were recently anyway," Remus said.

"No, I'm not," Dick said firmly. "I wasn't."

"I can smell it on you," Remus said, exasperated.

"You can smell it on me?" Dick asked, alarmed. "What?"

"It's a long stor-" Remus began, but at the same time, Dick said: "You're a werewolf."

Not it was Remus' turn to be incredulous.

"How did you know that?" he asked.

"You're whatever-it-was was a full moon. You've also shown higher senses than everyone else. It just…" Dick shrugged. "It just made sense."

"Then you know I'm not making this up. What happened?"

"Nothing," Dick said, shaking his head. Remus stared at him firmly. "Okay, fine. I cut my hand accidentally." Technically not a lie, but not the whole truth. He didn't exactly feel like explaining that he'd had a nightmare. What he'd had a nightmare about. And all his… past issues.

Remus seemed to accept it. "Okay. I believe you."

It occurred to Dick that Remus might have been able to hear his heartbeat and tell whether he was lying or not. If so, that would really be terrible, because Dick had been lying when he said he'd been running with a knife to Remus when the man had asked about the scar on his elbow.

"Then I'm gonna go eat," Dick told him.

Remus nodded. "Go ahead.

Dick left the living room and joined the others at the table, eating little and making sure no one saw his palms. That was the last thing he wanted to explain to everyone. Especially so publically.

* * *

_August 24th_

Just before Sirius put his hand on Dick's shoulder, Dick stopped him with a word.

"Sirius?"

"Yes, Dick?"

"Do you think… I know you're technically not supposed to leave Grimmauld Place except to bring me back home, and that's okay because we stay on the steps, but do you think we could make a stop in Little Whinging?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Well, that's where Harry's - my - aunt and uncle live, right?" Dick turned away from Sirius and watched the tree across the street move slightly in the wind. "I want to, I don't know. I want to see them."

"Dick, I don't think that's a good idea," Sirius said. "They're not-"

"Nice? You think I don't know?" Dick asked, turning to look up at Sirius again. "My aunt left me on a doorstep because of something from her childhood that she was still mad about. Before my parents were dead. When she thought they'd be coming back. They're obviously not nice people, Sirius."

"So what?" Sirius asked. "Revenge?"

Dick's stomach twisted rather unpleasantly at the word.

"Not revenge," he said. "Closure. I want to know why she did it, from her own mouth. I need to see her. You shouldn't come in though; they'd probably call the cops. You can just wait, I guess."

Sirius looked at Dick, calculating.

"Okay," he finally said. "We'll do that."

A moment later, Dick felt Sirius place his hand on Dick's shoulder and the twisting sensation of disapparating. A sensation he still hated with a passion unrivaled by anything else.

Once Dick caught his breath, he saw that they were standing on a sidewalk in front of a house that looked like every other house as far as he could see. The number next to the door was four.

"Go ahead," Sirius said. "I'll wait somewhere."

Dick nodded, not looking back at the man, and walked to the door. He waited a moment, debating if he really wanted to do this, before raising a fist and knocking on the door twice.

The door was pulled open gently a moment later by a blonde woman with an incredibly bony body and a long neck. She also had large front teeth, and Dick found himself wondering if she'd ever had braces.

"Hello," she said, practically oozing fakeness. "You're not here to sell anything, are you?"

Dick shook his head mutely.

"Then why are you here?" she asked.

"I'm Richard Grayson," he said, but before he could continue her eyes popped and she practically dragged him in, babbling all the way.

"Oh, my, well, whyever are you here seeing us? Did you get lost? We'd be happy to help you. Would you like any food? Vernon, look who's here!"

The last exclamation was aimed at an overweight man sitting on a couch and watching TV. The man's eyes drifted to him and popped as well. The muscular boy sitting next to him also turned to look at Dick, though instead of looking impressed, he paled.

"Richard Grayson," the man who could only be Vernon Dursley said, standing up with a groan and grabbing Dick's hand. "It's wonderful to meet you."

Dick snatched his hand back, first off because he hadn't exactly wanted to shake it and second because the tight grip had hurt his sore palms.

"I'm not lost," he said, answering his, ugh, aunt's earlier question. "I came to speak with Petunia Dursley."

"Oh, well, why would you want to talk to me?" she asked, seeming rather flattered.

Dick debated between being nice, but instead, he went right for it.

"Do you remember when Lily Potter asked you to watch Sirius Everson Potter?" Her smile fell and she looked rather confused, as did Vernon. Dudley, his cousin, looked even more scared. "And you left him on the steps of an orphanage. Well, it's nice to see you again."

"What?" Petunia spluttered. "But that's not… you're Richard Grayson!"

"I am," Dick agreed. "Turns out the Grayson's adopted me."

"Then you're one of those, one of those-" Petunia started weakly.

Dick nodded absently. "I suppose so. But not really. I don't care about it much. I wanted to come here and ask you why you did it. Hear from your mouth."

Petunia scowled, but like Vernon, who'd seemed to realize there was nothing he could do to Dick, she didn't kick him out. They couldn't, with him being the ward of Bruce Wayne. It came in handy for some things.

"You were going to grow up just like _them_ ," she finally spat. "You would have been using that unnatural _magic_ and going to that school. Now I know I was right to do it. You're normal and successful."

"Well then, thank you," Dick started. Both Vernon and Petunia looked taken-aback. "For doing it, I suppose. I wish you hadn't, but thank you for kind of being the reason the Graysons were my parents. I still, that was evil of you. You'll never hear from me again and I won't have Bruce seek legal action against you. Don't go telling anyone though, or he will." Dick turned to nod at Dudley. "It was, it was nice to meet you, I suppose, Dudley."

And with that, Dick turned around and left their house. They were still gaping.

The second his feet hit the pavement, Sirius appeared next to him.

"You ready."

"Yeah, I'm ready," Dick said. "Thanks."

"Don't tell Dumbledore, and it's all good," Sirius said lightly before they disappeared with a crack.

* * *

_August 27th_

"I cut my palms," Dick said before he could stop himself. Bruce turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, still holding the basketball he'd been about to shoot and score the winning goal. "You know, with my nails."

"When did this happen?" Bruce asked. He didn't seem mad. Just… sad. Worried.

"It was when I stayed the night at Grimmauld Place last time. I had a nightmare and it happened during that."

"I thought you kept your nails short to keep that from happening."

It wasn't a question. Dick answered it anyway.

"I do. I still got them pretty bad." Dick held his hands out, palms up, showing off the scabbed remains of his nightmare. "I've been wearing gloves to sleep since I got back to keep it from happening again."

"What was your nightmare about?"

Dick shrugged. "It was pretty usual at first. Then… did you know that there's a monster or beast or whatever that can become your worst fear? They hide in dark places and you get rid of them like they're rats or something, but with a spell. One of the people there was getting rid of one and I got too close."

"Oh, Dick," Bruce sighed. "Are you okay?"

"I guess," Dick shrugged. "Just, in my nightmare.. my worst fear was Tony Zucco, apparently. But like, it was that I'd kill him. And I had a-" Dick cut himself off, then continued from a safer point. "I just wanted to wake up. And I wasn't really… I wasn't thinking clearly. It just happened."

"It's okay, Dick," Bruce said. "Sometimes things happen. You couldn't control that. You can't."

"I know. I just wanted to tell you. I should have earlier, but, I don't know. I didn't. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Dick," Bruce said. He was telling the truth, and suddenly Dick found it way easier to breath than it had been since he'd gotten home.

"I'm still going to King's Cross to wave Harry off," Dick said. Bruce frowned. "And don't say anything about it, Bruce. I'll literally be meeting them at King's Cross then heading home. Nothing else will happen."

"I don't like it," Bruce said. "Especially because of-"

"If you say anything that has to do with my nightmare, I will hurt you," Dick warned, smiling lightly.

"I wasn't going to," Bruce defended, holding his hands up in the air like he was surrendering. A sure sign he was.

"Sure," Dick said skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, I was going to ask if I could have another phone, the same one as mine."

"Dick, did you lose yours?"

"No," Dick exclaimed. "Of course not. I love it like it's my own child. How _dare_ you suggest such a thing. I wanted to give it to Harry so we could talk without having owls arriving willy-nilly. I figured Alfred wouldn't appreciate that."

"That's actually a good idea," Bruce conceded.

"I know," Dick said brightly. "So?"

"I'll give it to you," Bruce said. "September 1st at noon?"

"Yup."

"It'll be ready the 31st."

Dick nodded. "Sounds great. And Bruce, thanks for all this. It means a lot."

* * *

_September 1st_

"Hey, Harry," Dick said. "Hermione, Ron. How are you guys?"

"Dick," Hermione said. "You're here."

"I said I would be, didn't I?"

"I wasn't sure if you'd make it," Hermione said honestly. "Doesn't school start for you?"

Dick shrugged. "It would normally, but the gym got destroyed by a supervillain, so it's starting late to rebuild."

"Are you serious, mate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah?" Dick said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It sounds a little unbelievable," Harry admitted. "Think about it from our perspective. We don't have superheroes and villains in London that often."

"More than you know," Dick muttered, low enough that they didn't hear him. "There was that one that attacked near the London Eye a week-ish ago," he said louder.

"What?" Hermione asked. "Someone attacked the London Eye?"

"Really?" Harry asked. "Wait, how do you know?"

"What's the London Eye?"

"Um, let's see. Hermione, yeah, someone did. Not sure why though. Harry, I read the newspaper. Ron, the London Eye is a huge Ferris Wheel. I think I got everything."

"You did," Hermione said. "That's just crazy. I wonder-" The loud whistle from the train cut her off. "Oh, we've got to go. Never mind. Come along."

She grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him onto the train, leaving Harry alone with Dick.

"So, I wanted to give this to you," Dick said, shoving the phone into Harry's hand. "I think you may have to hide it since it's probably against the rules, but it'll be easier to communicate with than owls. You know how to use a cell phone?"

Harry shook his head. "Dick, I can't accept this. It's-it's too much."

"Bruce gets them easy. Have Hermione show you. I probably won't answer if you call me, so text before you call so we can coordinate. I set Gotham time to show next to your time so it'll be easier to tell if I'd be or busy."

Dick paused. Was that everything? Harry was still gaping at him.

"Just, don't forget to text every once in a while. And don't bring it to classrooms. Keep the ringer off so it doesn't make noise and leave it in your room to check whenever. And, well, you've got to go. Bye, Harry. See you Christmas, I guess."

"You're coming to Christmas?"

"Yeah, for sure. Now hurry and get on the train. I've gotta make Remus bring me back," Dick said.

Harry listened, and just before the door closed behind him, Harry waved. Dick waved back.


	17. A Brief Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this in a day. It probably needs more editing, but at the moment I don't really care. This chapter is more, as the title suggests, an interlude. We're taking a break from action and adventure to just see Dick's day to day life. Enjoy!

_September 3rd_

"I hate magic," Dick groaned, collapsing on top of his book. "This doesn't make _any_ sense."

"It's magic. It's not exactly supposed to make sense," Zatanna said, sounding much more amused than Dick thought this deserved. "But I guess we could take a break. Save your brain from melting with the power of some of these spells."

Dick shot up. "Is that a possibility?"

Zatanna giggled, wrapping her arms around her middle and rocking in mirth. "Yeah, but it's not going to happen unless you decide to read something very, very cursed. You seem smart enough to not do that though."

Dick coughed. "Yeah, I definitely am. So, got any ice cream in your freezer?"

"We may," Zatanna said coyly. "What flavor is your favorite?"

"I never say no to chocolate," Dick said, hopping off his chair and stretching. "Rocky Road is acceptable though."

"Rocky Road it is!" Zatanna cheered.

Zatanna jumped off the table she'd been sitting on and joined Dick on his journey to the kitchen. They walked in silence for a few moments.

"Will there be anything trying to eat me this time?" Dick asked.

Zatanna shrugged. "Hopefully not. I don't think dad has anything in the freezer this time, at least."

"That's good. Until I accidentally melted the - what would it be called, a sludge monster? - I thought I was going to die. My life flashed before my eyes," Dick said dramatically.

Zatanna laughed at him. "You weren't going to die. I was there to save the damsel in distress."

"And how fortunate I am for that," Dick said dryly. "But seriously, why did it just melt? I didn't mean to do that."

Zatanna shrugged. "Accidental magic. It's probably happened to you before, you know, strange things you could never explain, but since you're finally learning to control the energy, it's lashing out more. Just be prepared; it's more than likely to happen again."

Dick sighed. "B will just _love_ that. Really."

They arrived in the kitchen. Dick immediately took a seat at the counter, leaving Zatanna to get their ice cream.

"Wow, real brave, Boy Wonder," she said.

Dick grinned impishly and shrugged. Better that if there was a sludge monster in there again it was her who got attacked first.

Zatanna put her hand on the freezer handle and pulled it open. Dick watched with bated breath. When nothing monstrous emerged, he sighed in relief.

Wordlessly, Zatanna used her magic to make the ice cream put itself in bowls by itself. She turned back to Dick and grinned.

"Show off," Dick accused.

"Okay. Now, what style was that? It's your job to know."

"South African," Dick replied dutifully. "As evidenced by the lack of spoken words and the pointing of your finger to cast the spell."

"And what else?" Zatanna asked.

Dick thought for a moment, tapping his chin with his finger. "I'm not sure."

"You know the rules, no ice cream until you guess," Zatanna threatened.

"How dare you," Dick said, placing a hand over his heart. "This is supposed to be a break, you vile being."

"Whatever," Zatanna said, handing him the ice cream. "And by the way, the tapping of my foot was the sign you missed, to help keep the spell to a beat so it didn't move too fast."

Dick cursed and slapped his forehead. "I knew it was obvious."

"Very obvious," Zatanna mocked.

"You're better than me, I get it. No need to rub it in."

"I disagree. There's always a need to rub it in when I'm better than the Robin, Boy Wonder of Gotham."

"I hate that nickname so much sometimes," Dick muttered.

"Well I think it's amazing," Zatanna said. "Now hurry and eat your ice cream. You still have to finish that chapter on magical theory in terms of modern technology."

"I hate you."

"Love you too," Zatanna said cheerily.

* * *

_September 5th_

Waking up in a different country was weird, Dick decided. Especially when you had no memory of the last six months, much less how you ended up in said different country. Basically, it was weird.

Having Miss Martian help him recover his memories was stranger still. Especially when it meant a very sudden burst of knowledge that the Grayson's weren't his parents, he had a brother, and he had magic powers. Suffice it to say the ride back to the mountain in the bio-ship was hard. Especially when his memories still hadn't settled yet, still felt like new information.

He was pretty much processing a whole different life he'd begun to lead. And it was obvious that both Wally and Miss Martian caught on. His best friend because he was his best friend and Miss Martian because she was a telepath. His friend too, but not well enough to catch on to his moods without a little help. He appreciated that they waited to say anything until they were back to the mountain, at least. And away from the others. And after the mission briefing was given to Bruce.

"Robin," M'gann began, sounding equal parts nervous and brave. "Your thoughts are very… disjointed."

"It's nothing," Dick said. "Really."

"Okay," M'gann said, and she just looked so hurt and dejected. Wally even shook his head and gave Dick a disappointed look.

"Getting my memories back meant I realized something again pretty fast. It wasn't your fault though, promise," Dick said, giving her a small smile.

"Oh, okay. Is there anything I can do to help? Do you want to talk?"

Dick shook his head. "Sorry, it's about my secret ID. Otherwise, it'd be great to talk to you."

M'gann nodded and smiled at him before flying off, presumably to go to her room.

"Was it really about your secret ID?" Wally asked. "Come on, don't look at me like that, man. You compartmentalize everything. For all I know it could be you got stabbed and just don't want Batman to know."

"I wouldn't lie, Wally. There's a difference between lying and avoiding the truth."

"A lie of omission is still a lie, as Wonder Woman is so fond of saying," Wally said. "But I believe you. Was it about being adopted?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I'm sure once the memories actually settle I'll be better," Dick said.

"Wanna spend the night at my house, take a break?" Wally asked.

"What does the Boy Wonder need a break from?" Artemis asked, joining them on the way to the zeta beam.

"Nothing," Dick said, glaring at Wally lightly. "I don't need a break from anything."

"Whatever you say." Artemis shrugged. "Not like it's my business."

"Exactly," Wally agreed, glaring at her. "It's none of your business."

"I already said that, Kid Idiot. Did getting memory zapped mess with your brain? Or are you always this slow?"

Wally growled. Jeez, whatever had happened in Bialya had really messed with them. They were acting way more antagonistic than normal. It was almost amusing. Dick would bet everything he owned that they'd end up dating at some point.

"Let's all chill out and get along," Dick said. "We've had enough stress today to last a lifetime."

"Whatever," Wally muttered. "See ya later" With that, he entered the zeta beam and disappeared.

"Ladies first," Dick said, gesturing for Artemis to go ahead of him.

"I'm not much of a lady," Artemis said.

"Neither am I," Dick joked. "But I figure out of the two of us you're closer."

"And what about Wally?" Artemis asked dryly.

"Why do you think he went first?"

Artemis barked out a laugh. "True enough. See you later, Robin."

Dick gave a lazy salute and watched as Artemis disappeared into the light. After she was gone, he typed in his clearance code and stepped into the zeta beam. When he stepped out he was in the Batcave.

"How did the mission go, Master Dick?" Alfred asked.

Dick peeled off his mask. "It kinda sucked. And I missed the phone call I promised Harry."

"I kept your phone on hand last night, or a few hours ago, as it were. Harry did not call," Alfred informed him.

Dick blinked and tried not to let that hurt. "Oh. Okay."

It shouldn't bug him so much that Harry hadn't called, but it did. It hurt even more because Dick was starting to think of Harry as his brother and Harry was started to share the same space in his brain as Bruce, Alfred, and his parents did. But maybe Dick was overestimating Harry's attachment to him.

"Here is your phone, Master Dick. Perhaps you can text him and ask why he failed to call. Who knows, it may be as simple as he wasn't sure what time with the difference."

"I told him that around nine pm there would be fine for me. He said most of his classes finish around four or five on Fridays, so he should have had time."

Alfred smiled and patted Dick's shoulder. "Don't be paranoid, my boy. There are many explanations that you may not be considering."

"Okay, Alfred. I won't freak out."

Alfred smiled, and Dick had the feeling he'd been dismissed to go to bed.

He went to the changing rooms and slipped into a sweatshirt and t-shirt before running up the stairs into Bruce's study. He continued at a much slower pace up the main staircase and into his room.

Once he was sitting on his bed and his door was locked, Dick unlocked his phone. A second later it vibrated

_Sorry about missing the phone call. I got detention and it ran until a forever. I forgot to even tell you until now._

Dick smiled slightly. At least there was a reason.

_It's fine,_ he texted back quickly. _I only got back home a few minutes ago anyway. Got distracted at a friend's house, so I would've been gone when you called._

_How aren't you asleep already? It must be around three in the morning there?_

_I live off of sleep deprivation._

A second later the phone started ringing.

"Hello?" Dick said.

" _Sorry, I wanted to wait to call until the others were out of the dorms,_ " Harry said.

"Well, at the moment I'm the only one home, so I don't have to worry about that."

" _You only live with two other people,_ " Harry said.

"I don't know about that. My friend Wally pretty much comes over whenever he wants."

" _Can he drive?_ "

"Nah, he runs, most of the time, that is," Dick said.

" _Is he a neighbor?_ "

"Something like that," Dick said. "Anyway, enough about me. How's school going so far?"

" _Well, our new professor, Umbridge, is a monster,_ " Harry said vehemently. " _Seriously. I said Voldemort was back and she gave me detention for it! Detention. I don't even know when it'll be done. Until she decides I've suffered enough, I suppose. Plus over half the school thinks I'm nutters. And Snape was awful too._ "

"I'm sorry," Dick said. "That sounds awful. Take it from me, the best thing to do is ignore her. You know you're right and the people whose opinions you actually care about know you're right. She's just trying to get a rise out of you and get you in trouble."

" _I_ know _that,_ " Harry snapped. " _Sorry. I didn't mean to snap. Hermione reckons that Umbridge was sent here by Fudge to meddle, especially since she seemed to hate me at my trial._ "

"She was at your trial?" Dick asked.

" _Yeah, she was. I can have Hermione tell you the speech she gave later. Maybe you can make more sense of it than I could. Anyway, I should let you sleep, especially since it's three in the morning there._ "

"Thanks for your consideration," Dick said dryly.

" _I'll text you later, yeah?_ "

"Yeah, I'll try to text back. Fair warning though, just because school hasn't started yet, for me at least, doesn't mean I'm easy to reach. I stay pretty busy. I'll tell you if I'll miss a Friday call though, just do the same for me."

" _Sure, Dick,_ " Harry said. " _I'll be sure to tell you. Bye._ "

"Talk to you later."

There was a click as Harry hung up. Dick threw his phone across the room so it landed in a pile of clothes. Now for sleep. Beautiful, glorious sleep.

* * *

_September 5th_

"Dick, wake up. Dick. Dick!"

Dick groaned and turned over in bed so he could look at the clock on his desk. Ugh. 7 am. Which meant he'd had four hours of sleep at the most. But at least it had been uninterrupted. Still, he was tired.

"Go away," he managed to groan loud enough for whoever was pounding on his door to hear. "I'm sleeping."

"Well, sorry to wake you, but it's a mandatory check to make sure you're not a Death Eater in disguise," the voice said, sounding much too cheery for this ungodly hour.

Dick stood up and let his blanket fall to the floor. He felt like death and probably looked it too. Being used to the lack of sleep didn't mean he was a functioning human before coffee.

He opened the door and glared as hard as he could at Sirius' grinning face.

"Woah, you look like you fought a manticore and made it out alive."

"I hate you and I feel like you should be made aware. Do whatever check you need to and let me sleep."

"No such luck, mate," Sirius said. "See, you're going to want to be wide awake. I'd recommend the coffee you enjoy so very much."

Dick joined Sirius in the hallway and slammed the door. He shuffled towards the kitchen, down the stairs, and past their huge dining room. Sirius followed behind him at a leisurely pace.

Sitting at the counter in the kitchen was Bruce, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper serenely. Dick glared at him too. Alfred sighed and pushed a mug full of coffee over.

It didn't take long for him to gulp his coffee down, almost scalding his throat with the heat. He didn't though, so a plus for him.

Now that the coffee was beginning to work its way through his system, he already felt more awake and less likely to maul Sirius.

"So, what exactly does this test involve?" Dick asked carefully.

"Well, we need to make sure none of you are Death Eaters, so likely just a few questions about our first meeting and possibly a spell to check your minds."

Bruce's eyebrow was rising higher and higher through all of this. At the part about a spell to pretty much reading minds, Bruce looked supremely dubious.

"How exactly does that… ahem, spell work?" Bruce asked.

Sirius held his hands out. "Don't worry, nothing invasive. It just… a good way to say it is to imagine your mind as a color completely unique to yourself. No color is the same. It'll show me the color of your mind and then I'll be able to tell if it ever changes, making you someone else. Memories can be taken, the way you think can't."

Bruce hummed and nodded thoughtfully. "Interesting. Since this is the first time performing this spell, how will you know I'm not an imposter now?"

"Mostly intuition. And as an animagus, I can smell if you're someone different, in dog form at least. It's another precaution. I can already tell you're the same people."

"And that's why you were a dog when I opened the door," Bruce said.

"I didn't know people could turn into dogs with magic," Dick said.

"Only special training, otherwise the moment you're transfigured into a dog you become a dog, mind too," Sirius said. "I could tell you more about it if you like, after we get that pesky mind spell out of the way and ask the questions, of course."

Dick nodded. "I'd like that. Thanks, Sirius."

"No problem at all. Now, do you mind if I perform that spell then?"

"Go ahead," Bruce said, although Dick knew him well enough to see him tense just in case. He seemed to not need the fear though, because Sirius pointed his wand at Bruce, muttered a few words, and turned away.

"Alrighty then, one down, two to go." Sirius turned towards Alfred. "Do you mind?"

"Go right ahead," Alfred said stiffy. There was a repeat of what had happened with Bruce. Then Sirius turned towards Dick and did it again.

For some reason, Dick had it in his head that the magic would feel like tingling or something. Maybe even want to make him throw up as apparating did. Instead, there was nothing.

"That's it?" Dick asked, surprised.

"That's it," Sirius said. "Easy peasy."

* * *

_September 12th_

"Hey, Harry," Dick said. "Sorry, I can't talk long today. How are you though?"

" _Fine,_ " Harry said. " _What's going on?_ "

Dick thought of his and Batman's meeting with Green Arrow, Artemis, Flash, and Kid Flash. "Nothing much. Just had something come up that I've got to get ready for."

" _Oh, okay. So, has school started yet?_ "

"Not yet. I finally have a date though; the 22nd." Dick laughed. "Good thing is longer without school. Bad thing is that it means doing school longer into the summer, which kinda sucks, but whatever. I'll live. Did you make the Quidditch team again?"

" _I'm the only person who ever tried out for seeker, so yeah. Even though I missed tryout because of Umbridge and this stupid decree that all groups had to be registered through her. She nearly didn't let the Gryffindor team stay!_ "

"That sounds awful," Dick said, slightly ashamed to admit he was only half paying attention. "How'd you convince her?"

" _We convinced McGonagall, is the thing. Or at least Angelina did,_ " Harry said. " _Don't know what we'd do without her. McGonagall bullied Umbridge into agreeing, thankfully._ "

"I don't think I like this woman," Dick said.

" _Well, I think you'll find over half of Hogwarts agrees with you,_ " Harry commented. " _She's insufferable. Anyway, you seem to be in a hurry. I'll let you go. By the way, do you want me to have Hermione just text you Umbridge's speech?_ "

"That would work. I'll probably read it tomorrow. Bye!"

" _Bye, mate,_ " Harry said.

Dick clicked the phone off. Now to finish reviewing case files for tonight. Yay.

* * *

_September 21st_

"Oi, Grayson," a voice hollered. "Where've you been?"

"Gordon," Dick greeted, running over and giving Babs a hug. "Good to see you. It's been forever."

Barbara pulled back and punched him in the shoulder. "Well, it's your fault. You're always busy. Especially this summer. Did I miss anything important?"

"I'll tell you later," Dick promised. "I can't believe we ran into each other picking up our uniforms."

Barbara snorted. "You can thank Alfred for that. Do you see what I had to resort to so I could talk to you?"

"We text!" Dick defended.

"That's different, Dick," Barbara said, shaking her head fondly. "Now, you can either come over to my house tonight or I can break into yours."

"Fine, fine," Dick agreed, holding his hands up in surrender and laughing. "Does your dad know I'm coming over?"

"Of course I do," a voice said from behind Dick. He definitely didn't jump. "Good to see you, son."

"You too, Commissioner Gordon," Dick replied politely.

They made small talk while waiting for their uniforms to be delivered and in the car on the way to Barbara's house. Once the car pulled to a stop, Babs practically jumped out of the car and pulled Dick with her through the front door and up to her room.

She slammed the door closed behind her and jumped on the bed before turning to face Dick expectantly. "Tell me everything."

"Okay, okay," Dick said. "It's kinda hard to explain though. You see-"

"-you're really Robin and you've been working with other partners to fight crime, I get that," Barbara said. "But I don't know why you're wherever your base is so often and for so long when there aren't any missions."

Dick gaped at her. "How did you know all that?"

"I'm not an idiot, Dick," Barbara said in her best 'duh' voice, which was surprisingly good. "So, explain away."

"Actually, I was in London a lot," Dick said.

Barbara raised an eyebrow. "There are no flights chartered and with how often and quickly you appear and disappear there isn't time for a flight to London. Don't try to lie, Dick."

"I'm not. I really was in London. It's kind of a long story, but it turns out the Graysons adopted me and I have a wizard brother who lives there. I was going back and forth so much to see him." Dick paused. "Wizards can teleport, which is how I've been moving so quickly across the pond."

Now it was Barbara's turn to gape. "But, Robin, I know you're him! All the pieces fit perfectly. So you've been doing the covert team thing and all this?"

Dick shrugged, but that seemed to be enough for Barbara. He'd probably get in trouble later for not denying Barbara's guess, but she was his closest friend beside Wally and she deserved to know. Besides, she wasn't an idiot, as she'd said. She probably already had evidence to back up her claim hidden somewhere.

"Wow. That's was crazier than I thought. So at least I know we haven't seen each other in forever for a good-ish reason."

Dick winced. "I really didn't mean to go so long without seeing you, I swear, but things just kinda happened and… yeah."

Barbara laughed. "I want the full story tonight before Alfred comes to get you, okay."

"You got it, boss. Just don't give any hints to Bruce you know. I really don't want to disappear."

"Sure, Robin," Barbara smirked evilly. "I'll be careful."

"I really don't trust you," Dick said warily.

"Probably a good choice," Barbara agreed merrily.

* * *

_September 22nd_

The first day of school was interesting, especially since it was now his first year of high school at Gotham Academy. Before this, he'd always been in either middle school or grade school. Skipping a year a few years back had meant he was pretty much always the youngest in his class, but now he really felt it. Compared to all the other students, even freshmen boys and girls, he was short.

It could have been worse, of course. Being Bruce Wayne's ward meant he wasn't openly mocked, for fear of retaliation. Sure, behind his back he was, but he'd long since grown used to ignoring it. Still, didn't mean it didn't get to him.

That was why he'd chosen to use what was left of the morning before his and Barbara's first class started to hang outside in the courtyard. That was why when he saw Artemis, he couldn't help but prank her. Or in this case, run up to her and take a quick selfie.

Barbara had been confused, but he'd explained it to her pretty easily, although he kept the information about whose partner Artemis was to himself and what her background was. That was for Artemis to reveal to whomever she wished whenever she wished, and Dick doubted someone she didn't know would be included in a list of persons she'd ever tell.

Later that day, once he and Barbara were separated due to their schedules and he was alone by his locker, Dick heard a few teens talking about her Artemis. Or rather to her. By a stroke of luck, her locker was located just across the hall from Dick's.

The words the teens weren't nice, but they weren't anything that could get them in trouble if caught. Thinly veiled insults hidden under gestures of kindness. Dick knew Artemis caught on though. There wasn't really anything for him to do other than watch and listen to make sure the teens didn't get any more aggressive.

Eventually, they went away, leaving Artemis alone. Dick sidled up to her and smiled.

"Hey, sorry about those jerks," he said.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "And you're any different, kid?"

"Of course I am," Dick said, placing a hand over his heart as if he were offended.

"You're a rich kid who made it into this school because of your daddy's money," Artemis sneered. "That doesn't make you different."

"Except Bruce isn't my dad. I'm Dick Grayson." He held a hand out and waited. Artemis sighed and took his hand, giving it a slight shake.

"Sorry. This place has got me on edge. I hate it here."

Dick shrugged. "Understandable. Do you want to join me and my friend Barbara for lunch?"

"She a rich kid?"

"Not that it should matter if she's nice, but no. Scholarship student. You know, the commissioner's daughter."

Artemis cracked a small smile. "Sure, kid. Why not. You'll have to tell me where the lunch room is now though so I can find it after class."

"French?" Dick asked. "I have that class too. I'll show you after." They started walking down the mostly empty hallways.

"So, why'd you decide to take French?" Artemis asked.

Dick shrugged. "I already know it, so I figured why not take an easy grade."

Artemis barked a laugh. "Kinda the same reason here, except I'm not fluent. I'm passable, I suppose. Figured this would help me become fluent."

"You'd have better luck actually going there and talking to people than sitting in a class listening to a list of verbs," Dick said.

"Well obviously, but it's not like I can just go to Paris."

Well, actually, she could. But maybe she didn't know that. Dick would have to find a way to let her know without compromising his identity. Maybe he could… no, that wouldn't work. He'd figure it out later. For now, he'd continue talking and getting to know this small part of Artemis whose walls weren't quite so high.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for timeline's sake, even though chances are this is off from 2010 in real life, the 4th was a Friday and the 5th was a Saturday. Every Friday Dick and Harry have a phone conversation. Hogwarts is around 4 hours ahead of Gotham since London is four hours ahead of New York City and Gotham City is in New Jersey, as stated in Young Justice Season 1. This means that when Harry is calling Dick, it's nine for him and only 5 for Dick. When Harry called Dick on the 5th, it was seven in the morning of Saturday for him and three in the morning Saturday for Dick.
> 
> Also, every Saturday around 7 am, Sirius comes over to check that Bruce and Dick aren't Death Eaters in disguise. Now, you may be wondering why Bruce would just let Sirius cast a spell on him, Alfred, and Dick instead of refusing out of sheer paranoia. My thought process is that he already knows Sirius is a good guy and he understands the need to make sure Dick hasn't been kidnapped. His love for Dick outweighs his need of control.
> 
> Anyway, sorry for the long note. Just figured people might want to know the time thing since that's something I've been working very hard to stay on track with the timeline for the show so none of the events from Season 1 or the comics change.
> 
> As for the timeline of the book, I can't quite remember when it was Umbridge outlawed groups without her approval, so it's happening during the first week-ish.
> 
> Feel free to ask anything you want and I'll try to get back to you with an answer!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Of Halloween Nightmares Past](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15519858) by [Hermione_DaughterofAthena](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hermione_DaughterofAthena/pseuds/Hermione_DaughterofAthena)




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